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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. last — to go on
  4. ball — a great time
  5. last — finally
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. can — a tin
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. can — a tin
  10. ball — a dance
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cold — not warm
  18. can — to be able to
  19. mark — a trace
  20. fork — in a road
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cold — an illness
  23. last — final
  24. fork — a garden tool

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