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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 120 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. pit — in a race
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. cold — an illness
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. snap — to click
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wound — an injury
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wound — an injury
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pit — a hole

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