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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bat — the animal
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. firm — a company
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. land — a country
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to drill
  12. file — a tool
  13. land — to come down
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. firm — decided
  17. land — ground
  18. march — the month
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. lean — to bend
  22. file — a document
  23. firm — steady
  24. lean — to rest against

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