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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. tube — a container
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. cold — an illness
  6. mark — a grade
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. clip — a video
  11. tube — the underground
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. clip — to cut
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. clip — for paper
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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