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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. drill — the tool
  5. can — a tin
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cold — not warm
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bound — certain
  13. drill — army training
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bound — tied together
  16. drill — a practice
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bound — obliged
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rock — music
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. rock — to move gently

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