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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. file — a line of people
  4. staff — a stick
  5. tear — to rip
  6. kick — in football
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. file — a document
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. file — a tool
  14. staff — employees
  15. pass — a permit
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. staff — employees

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