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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.

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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. file — a tool
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chest — of your body
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. file — a document
  24. field — for sport

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