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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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. key — for a lock
  3. swing — to play on
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. kick — in football
  6. swing — in golf
  7. rash — a series
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. spring — the season
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. swing — music
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. file — a tool
  17. rash — hasty
  18. key — in music
  19. file — a line of people
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. key — the most important part

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