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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. spring — of water
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. clip — a video
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. spring — the season
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. spring — a coil
  20. march — the month
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. file — a tool
  23. clip — for paper
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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