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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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Word bank
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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  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. rush — to hurry
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bark — to shout
  5. game — wild animals
  6. file — a tool
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bass — the fish
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. file — a line of people
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. file — a document
  19. key — in music
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bass — low music
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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