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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. ball — a great time
  3. file — a tool
  4. kick — in football
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. last — final
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. pop — to visit
  11. last — finally
  12. ball — a dance
  13. file — a line of people
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. last — to go on
  18. pop — soda
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. file — a document
  24. cabinet — ministers

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