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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. net — in sport
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. file — a tool
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. file — a line of people
  13. net — for catching
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. hand — help
  18. net — after costs
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. hand — in cards
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. file — a document
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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