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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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Word bank
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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: cold · hand · fan · bay · safe · pass · key · patient

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. hand — help
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. key — for a lock
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pass — a permit
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. key — the most important part
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. fan — to cool the air

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