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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 116 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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. sharp — clever
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. file — a tool
  5. vault — a safe
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. shower — rain
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. clip — to cut
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. clip — for paper
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. file — a document
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. ground — a position
  20. spell — a short time
  21. clip — a video
  22. spell — magic
  23. shower — to wash
  24. spell — letters

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