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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. file — a tool
  8. squash — the sport
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cap — of ice
  11. file — a document
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wound — an injury
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pass — a permit
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. squash — to crush
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — a lid
  24. stem — to come from

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