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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: tube · fan · safe · date · ball · last · cold · bore

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. tube — the underground
  3. last — finally
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. last — final
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. tube — a container
  9. cold — not warm
  10. ball — a great time
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. last — to go on
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cold — an illness
  22. ball — a dance
  23. date — the fruit
  24. cold — the Cold War

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