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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. ground — crushed
  6. face — to confront
  7. lean — thin
  8. face — to point toward
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ground — a position
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. cold — not warm
  14. lean — to bend
  15. face — part of the head
  16. ground — the earth
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. last — to go on
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — an illness
  24. deal — to handle

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