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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. lean — thin
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. file — a tool
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lean — to bend
  15. cold — an illness
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. toast — bread
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. file — a document
  24. bowl — a dish

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