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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bear — the animal
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. date — the fruit
  9. file — a document
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. capital — money
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. capital — a city
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bowl — to roll

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