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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 opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. saw — the tool
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pit — in a race
  5. cold — an illness
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. staff — a stick
  8. cold — not warm
  9. staff — employees
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. march — the month
  14. saw — the tool
  15. can — to be able to
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — a hole
  20. march — music
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. staff — employees
  23. march — the month
  24. can — a tin

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