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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. land — ground
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. rule — a law
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. rule — government
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. land — a country
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bear — the animal
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bear — the animal
  19. file — a tool
  20. land — to come down
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fine — all right
  23. file — a document
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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