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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · bear · face · tube · safe · sharp · racket · cold

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bear — the animal
  6. face — part of the head
  7. saw — the tool
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. face — to point toward
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. tube — a container
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. sharp — clever
  21. face — to confront
  22. saw — the tool
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bear — the animal

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