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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. stand — to bear
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. deal — to handle
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. branch — a division
  17. file — a document
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. file — a tool
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. cell — in biology
  24. safe — out of danger

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