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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bat — the animal
  4. key — in music
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. kick — in football
  10. court — of law
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. craft — boats
  13. shower — to wash
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. key — for a lock
  16. shower — rain
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. court — of a king
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. craft — a skill
  21. court — for sport
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. key — the most important part
  24. file — a document

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