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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. fall — the season
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. game — wild animals
  5. file — a document
  6. last — finally
  7. fall — to drop
  8. spring — a coil
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — final
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. sharp — clever
  17. prune — to trim
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. game — a match
  20. file — a tool
  21. fall — to drop
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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