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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bore — to drill
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. file — a line of people
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. file — a tool
  13. last — final
  14. bore — to tire
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. cold — an illness
  18. file — a document
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. spring — the season
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. cold — not warm

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