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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. capital — a city
  3. bore — to drill
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cold — not warm
  6. mate — a friend
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. mate — to breed
  9. last — to go on
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. prune — to trim
  12. last — finally
  13. prune — to trim
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. last — final
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cold — an illness
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bore — to tire
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. capital — money
  24. bore — gave birth

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