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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 120 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. last — to go on
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. saw — the tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. fine — all right
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fine — high quality
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. last — final
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. band — a music group
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. drill — a practice
  23. last — finally
  24. safe — out of danger

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