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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: mouse · rash · safe · clip · bore · dip · cold · rush

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — hasty
  5. dip — to sink
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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