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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 120 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. rash — a series
  5. ground — a position
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. kick — in football
  13. vault — a safe
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. ground — crushed
  19. file — a line of people
  20. ground — the earth
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. rash — hasty
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. kick — with a leg

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