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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a line of people
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. clip — for paper
  5. branch — a division
  6. sharp — clever
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. court — of a king
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. court — for sport
  14. clip — a video
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. court — of law
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. foot — a measure
  21. file — a tool
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. clip — to cut

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