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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pit — in a race
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pop — music
  5. track — a song
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pit — a hole
  13. file — a line of people
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — all right
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. band — a music group
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. band — a ring
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a tool

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