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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. saw — the tool
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. saw — the tool
  7. season — in sport
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to tire
  11. foot — a measure
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cold — an illness
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. date — the fruit
  16. mine — for digging
  17. cold — not warm
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bore — to drill
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. mine — belonging to me

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