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

Word bank: leaves · pound · safe · lie · file · squash · stick · bat

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. squash — the sport
  9. file — a tool
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. file — a line of people
  15. squash — to crush
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bat — the animal
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. lie — to recline
  20. file — a document
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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