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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — steady
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. file — a document
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. club — a group
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. club — for golf
  12. spring — of water
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. file — a tool
  15. cold — an illness
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. spring — the season
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. file — a line of people
  20. firm — a company
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spring — a coil
  24. cold — not warm

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