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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. file — a tool
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. can — a tin
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bark — to shout
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mine — for digging
  13. chest — a box
  14. scale — size or range
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. can — to be able to
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — a signal
  24. scale — in music

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