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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: safe · bat · drill · net · file · lie · present · mug

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. drill — a practice
  3. present — a gift
  4. mug — a cup
  5. lie — to recline
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. net — after costs
  10. file — a tool
  11. net — for catching
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mug — a face
  14. file — a line of people
  15. present — the time now
  16. file — a document
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. net — in sport
  20. bat — the animal
  21. drill — army training
  22. mug — to rob
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. drill — the 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