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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.

Make a worksheet

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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mug — to rob
  3. tube — a container
  4. net — after costs
  5. cold — an illness
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. vault — a safe
  8. net — in sport
  9. wind — moving air
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. net — for catching
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. tube — the underground
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — a face
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  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