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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. kick — in football
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. file — a tool
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — low music
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. court — of law
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. court — of a king
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. court — for sport
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. file — a document

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