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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. cold — an illness
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. spell — letters
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. spell — magic
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. drill — the tool
  20. dip — to sink
  21. spell — a short time
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. mouse — for a computer

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