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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 120 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. file — a document
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. degree — from a university
  6. file — a line of people
  7. charge — electricity
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rush — hurry
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. degree — temperature
  19. charge — a price
  20. file — a tool
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. charge — in control
  24. bat — for baseball

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