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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bark — to shout
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pass — a permit
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spell — magic
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. track — a song
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. saw — the tool
  13. spell — a short time
  14. content — happy
  15. track — a path
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. track — to keep track
  18. content — the amount
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. spell — letters
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. cold — an illness

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com