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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: bear · march · cold · court · staff · bore · safe · snap

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cold — not warm
  4. court — for sport
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. march — the month
  7. cold — an illness
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bear — the animal
  10. snap — to click
  11. court — of a king
  12. bear — the animal
  13. staff — a stick
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. march — the month
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. court — of law
  18. staff — employees
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. march — music
  22. staff — employees
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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