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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. drill — a practice
  3. march — the month
  4. drill — the tool
  5. cold — an illness
  6. mug — a cup
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. drill — army training
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. ground — crushed
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. march — music
  15. cold — not warm
  16. mug — to rob
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — a position
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mug — a face
  23. march — the month
  24. wave — of the sea

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