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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wound — an injury
  6. chest — of your body
  7. file — a tool
  8. mate — a friend
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. charge — a price
  12. chest — a box
  13. mate — a partner
  14. net — in sport
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. charge — in control
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. charge — electricity
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mate — to breed
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. chest — of your body

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