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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rash — hasty
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. ball — a dance
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rash — a series
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. safe — out of danger

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