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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. branch — a division
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cold — an illness
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. track — a path
  13. cell — a phone
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. track — to keep track
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. date — the fruit
  21. track — a song
  22. pass — a permit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cell — in biology

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