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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. net — after costs
  9. dip — to sink
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. row — to paddle
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. file — a line of people
  14. vault — a safe
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. last — to go on
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. toast — bread
  23. row — a line
  24. net — for catching

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