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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. cold — an illness
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. saw — the tool
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. wind — moving air
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. tear — from crying
  11. drill — army training
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. wind — moving air
  14. drill — the tool
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. cold — not warm
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. tear — from crying
  20. drill — a practice
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pit — a hole

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