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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. file — a document
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mine — for digging
  6. file — a line of people
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. hand — in cards
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. file — a tool
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. dip — to sink
  19. date — the fruit
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. patient — a sick person
  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