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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 120 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. bear — the animal
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. file — a line of people
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. net — in sport
  24. wind — moving air

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