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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 120 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. fine — all right
  3. face — to confront
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. fine — high quality
  7. drill — army training
  8. cold — not warm
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. content — the amount
  12. cold — an illness
  13. face — part of the head
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. content — happy
  16. face — to point toward
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. drill — the tool
  21. prune — to trim
  22. drill — a practice
  23. prune — to trim
  24. nail — for a hammer

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