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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. lean — to bend
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. lean — thin
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. fine — all right
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fine — high quality
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cold — not warm
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pass — a permit
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. shower — to wash
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. dip — to sink
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cold — an illness
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. dip — to dunk

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