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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: safe · rock · cold · bark · game · fine · fan · dip

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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. bark — of a tree
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. fine — all right
  6. cold — an illness
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bark — to shout
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. fine — high quality
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — music
  21. cold — not warm
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. dip — to sink
  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