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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: lie · rule · last · bat · safe · cold · dip · spell

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bat — the animal
  3. last — finally
  4. rule — government
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — a law
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. dip — to sink
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. last — final
  16. spell — magic
  17. last — to go on
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. cold — not warm
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cold — an illness
  23. spell — letters
  24. lie — to recline

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