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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: safe · land · bowl · bore · track · wave · cue · cold

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. track — a path
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bore — to drill
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. land — to come down
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. track — a song
  15. land — ground
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bore — to tire
  21. land — a country
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. track — to keep track

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