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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. fork — in a road
  4. tube — the underground
  5. club — a group
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. club — for golf
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. game — a match
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. tube — a container
  19. wound — an injury
  20. game — wild animals
  21. file — a tool
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. club — for dancing
  24. game — a kind of play

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