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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: hide · cold · rest · mate · row · safe · wind · bowl

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. mate — a friend
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mate — a partner
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. mate — to breed
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cold — an illness
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. rest — what's left
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rest — a break
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. wind — moving air

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