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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. file — a line of people
  6. shower — to wash
  7. land — ground
  8. file — a document
  9. staff — employees
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. land — to come down
  13. staff — a stick
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. land — a country
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. file — a tool
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bat — the animal
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. shower — rain
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wax — to grow

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