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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. ground — a position
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. file — a tool
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. cell — a phone
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to sink
  11. file — a document
  12. ground — the earth
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. present — the time now
  15. file — a line of people
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. present — a gift
  19. ground — crushed
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — in biology
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. present — there

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