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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: face · swing · mug · safe · object · fork · ruler · cold

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. swing — to play on
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. object — to protest
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. fork — in a road
  10. mug — a cup
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mug — to rob
  13. swing — music
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. face — to confront
  17. mug — a face
  18. object — a thing
  19. swing — in golf
  20. cold — not warm
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. object — an aim

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