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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 didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. race — a contest
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bat — the animal
  9. staff — employees
  10. rash — a series
  11. spring — of water
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. staff — employees
  14. race — the arms race
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. spring — a coil
  18. cold — an illness
  19. staff — a stick
  20. race — humankind
  21. spring — the season
  22. cold — not warm
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. rash — hasty

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