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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bore — to drill
  3. hand — in cards
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. last — to go on
  8. court — of a king
  9. lean — thin
  10. file — a line of people
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bore — to tire
  15. last — final
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. hand — help
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. court — of law
  21. last — finally
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. lean — to bend
  24. court — for sport

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