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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 116 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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. cue — for pool
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. row — to paddle
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. row — a line
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cue — a hint
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pass — a permit
  14. field — for sport
  15. cold — not warm
  16. mine — for digging
  17. field — a subject
  18. bulb — for light
  19. field — farmland
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bulb — for light
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. pass — to succeed

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