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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: bound · dip · last · hand · cold · safe · bore · chest

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bore — to drill
  6. last — to go on
  7. bore — to tire
  8. last — final
  9. bound — tied together
  10. dip — to sink
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bound — certain
  13. chest — a box
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. last — finally
  16. cold — an illness
  17. hand — help
  18. chest — of your body
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bound — obliged

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