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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. file — a document
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. field — for sport
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. hand — help
  8. file — a tool
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. file — a line of people
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. field — a subject
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. field — farmland
  24. bat — the animal

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