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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. fine — all right
  6. chair — a leader
  7. file — a document
  8. staff — employees
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. clip — a video
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rest — a break
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. staff — a stick
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fine — high quality
  22. staff — employees
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. clip — for paper

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