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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. prune — to trim
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. fall — to drop
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. mug — a face
  10. fall — to drop
  11. race — the arms race
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bore — to drill
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bore — to tire
  17. prune — to trim
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — humankind
  20. fall — the season
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cold — not warm

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