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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cold — not warm
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wind — moving air
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. band — a ring
  15. saw — the tool
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cold — an illness
  18. saw — the tool
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. band — a music group
  22. spell — magic
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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