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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. drill — army training
  10. row — a line
  11. field — a subject
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. fine — high quality
  14. file — a tool
  15. row — to paddle
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. file — a document
  20. chair — a leader
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fine — a penalty

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