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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. season — of the year
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — the fish
  9. race — a contest
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. season — in sport
  13. cold — an illness
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. fall — the season
  16. race — the arms race
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mine — for digging
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. race — humankind
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. fall — to drop

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