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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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. face — part of the head
  2. cold — not warm
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cap — a lid
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. cap — of ice
  12. saw — the tool
  13. dip — to sink
  14. face — to confront
  15. pit — a hole
  16. saw — the tool
  17. face — to point toward
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. pit — in a race
  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