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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bass — the fish
  9. race — humankind
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. file — a document
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. file — a line of people
  16. race — a contest
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. wound — an injury
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. race — the arms race
  21. file — a tool
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. fork — in a road

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