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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rush · bowl · hide · last · drill · cold · wake

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. last — final
  3. drill — a practice
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. cold — not warm
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. last — to go on
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. drill — army training
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. drill — the tool
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. last — finally
  24. safe — out of danger

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