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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fine — all right
  11. spring — of water
  12. sharp — clever
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. last — to go on
  21. rash — a series
  22. spring — the season
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. hide — to keep secret

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