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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mark — a trace
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. last — to go on
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. saw — the tool
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. cold — not warm
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. last — finally
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. last — final
  24. mark — a grade

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