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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. drill — a practice
  9. mug — to rob
  10. rush — hurry
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. season — in sport
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mug — a cup
  18. drill — army training
  19. season — of the year
  20. pass — a permit
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. mug — a face
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rush — a thrill

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