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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. roll — a list
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. foot — a measure
  5. object — a thing
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — to protest
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pit — a hole
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cold — an illness
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. roll — a cake
  19. pit — in a race
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bat — the animal
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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