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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. game — a match
  3. file — a tool
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. file — a line of people
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bulb — for light
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. file — a document
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pitcher — a jug

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