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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. staff — a stick
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. lean — thin
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. file — a document
  13. rash — a series
  14. file — a tool
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. lean — to bend
  19. mine — for digging
  20. rash — hasty
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. file — a line of people
  24. safe — out of danger

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