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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 116 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. lean — thin
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. race — a contest
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. lean — to bend
  10. stock — shares
  11. race — the arms race
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cold — not warm
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fine — high quality
  18. stock — goods
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cold — an illness
  22. race — humankind
  23. fine — all right
  24. patient — a sick person

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