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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. mine — for digging
  3. row — to paddle
  4. court — of a king
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. file — a line of people
  9. court — for sport
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. saw — the tool
  12. row — a line
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. saw — the tool
  20. chest — of your body
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. court — of law

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