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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 116 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. track — a path
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. pit — in a race
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. file — a document
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a tool
  15. track — to keep track
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. key — in music
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bark — to shout
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. key — the most important part
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. track — a song

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