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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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468
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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. last — final
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. last — to go on
  6. file — a document
  7. last — finally
  8. fall — the season
  9. kid — child
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. fall — to drop
  13. key — the most important part
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. file — a tool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. file — a line of people
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. kid — to tease
  23. key — for a lock
  24. safe — out of danger

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