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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. staff — a stick
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bat — the animal
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. file — a tool
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. file — a document
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. perch — the fish
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fine — all right
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bat — for baseball

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