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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rush — hurry
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. track — to keep track
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. track — a song
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. track — a path
  14. file — a tool
  15. sharp — clever
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. file — a line of people
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. plane — a tool
  24. sharp — exactly

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