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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. saw — the tool
  4. kick — in football
  5. mate — a partner
  6. file — a line of people
  7. hand — in cards
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. file — a document
  12. hand — help
  13. mate — to breed
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. mate — a friend
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. saw — the tool
  19. file — a tool
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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