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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cold — an illness
  3. rash — hasty
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rash — a series
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — of ice
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. drill — a practice
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. drill — army training
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. drill — the tool
  18. cap — a hat
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cold — not warm
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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