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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. row — to paddle
  3. mate — to breed
  4. can — a tin
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. row — a line
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mate — a friend
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cold — not warm
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. can — a tin
  19. mate — a partner
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. can — to be able to
  22. tear — to rip
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cold — an illness

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