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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. file — a tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. file — a line of people
  8. hand — in cards
  9. saw — the tool
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bat — the animal
  12. hand — help
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. key — in music
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. key — the most important part
  18. scale — in music
  19. file — a document
  20. key — for a lock
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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