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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: safe · race · pit · bank · saw · mate · cold · wave

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. race — a contest
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. mate — a friend
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. race — the arms race
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pit — in a race
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cold — an illness
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bank — for money
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pit — a hole
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cold — not warm
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bank — for money
  24. race — humankind

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