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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.

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: cold · rush · wake · bat · pass · safe · tube · pound

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rush — hurry
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. tube — a container
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pass — a permit
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pound — a weight
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wake — a trail
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pass — to spend time

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