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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 116 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 was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. rash — hasty
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. file — a tool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. file — a line of people
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. file — a document
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. rash — a series
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. rock — a stone
  20. staff — employees
  21. bat — the animal
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. spring — of water

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