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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. staff — employees
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a document
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. file — a tool
  11. staff — employees
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. staff — a stick
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — in football
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fine — high quality
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fine — a penalty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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