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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: kid · safe · file · rock · chest · pitcher · rest · ball

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. kid — to tease
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a dance
  7. rock — a stone
  8. chest — of your body
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. chest — of your body
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. kid — child
  17. chest — a box
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. file — a tool
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. rock — music
  24. safe — a strongbox

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