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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. file — a line of people
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. rest — a break
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. file — a tool
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. file — a document
  18. bark — to shout
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cold — the Cold War

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