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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · drill · kid · dip · hide · file · game · safe

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. drill — the tool
  3. row — a line
  4. drill — a practice
  5. dip — to sink
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. game — a match
  8. kid — to tease
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. game — wild animals
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. row — to paddle
  13. drill — army training
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. file — a tool

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