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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. kick — in football
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. last — to go on
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a document
  9. capital — a city
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. mark — a trace
  12. roll — a cake
  13. capital — money
  14. last — finally
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mark — a grade
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. pop — soda
  21. last — final
  22. roll — a list
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. pop — music

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