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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · ruler · safe · saw · chest · cold · hide · wound

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. capital — a city
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chest — of your body
  10. capital — money
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cold — not warm
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wound — an injury
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cold — an illness
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. wound — an injury
  24. safe — out of danger

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