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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. object — a thing
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. object — an aim
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cell — in biology
  18. dip — to sink
  19. last — to go on
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cell — a phone
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. patient — a sick person

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