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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a tool
  4. field — a subject
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bore — to tire
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. file — a line of people
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. field — for sport
  15. cap — of ice
  16. chip — for betting
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. cap — a lid
  21. field — farmland
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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