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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 116 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. lean — thin
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. shower — rain
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. race — humankind
  7. last — final
  8. net — after costs
  9. race — a contest
  10. cold — an illness
  11. last — to go on
  12. race — the arms race
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. shower — to wash
  16. cold — not warm
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. lean — to bend
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. last — finally
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. net — in sport
  24. lean — to rest against

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