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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 120 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. hand — help
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. file — a line of people
  5. row — to paddle
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. file — a tool
  8. row — a line
  9. rest — a break
  10. file — a document
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — a thing
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. saw — the tool
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — part of the body

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