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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. cold — an illness
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — rain
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. season — in sport
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. rock — a stone
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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