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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 the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. field — for sport
  5. fall — to drop
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. tear — to rip
  10. field — farmland
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. cue — a hint
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cold — an illness
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cue — a signal
  19. dip — to sink
  20. field — a subject
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cue — for pool
  24. tear — from crying

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