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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. wound — an injury
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. present — there
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. file — a tool
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. file — a document
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — a gift
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. arm — part of the body

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