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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cold — not warm
  3. last — final
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. suit — to fit
  6. content — the amount
  7. last — to go on
  8. suit — clothes
  9. club — for dancing
  10. saw — the tool
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. club — a group
  13. last — finally
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cold — an illness
  18. suit — in cards
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. club — for golf
  23. content — happy
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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