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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. present — there
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. present — the time now
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. swing — music
  7. drill — army training
  8. file — a line of people
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. date — the fruit
  11. drill — a practice
  12. swing — in golf
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a document
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. swing — to play on
  19. present — a gift
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cap — a hat
  24. calf — of the leg

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