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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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468
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: racket · deal · file · present · pop · drill · safe · roll

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. drill — army training
  5. present — a gift
  6. pop — music
  7. file — a document
  8. roll — a list
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pop — to visit
  12. present — the time now
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. file — a line of people
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. deal — to handle
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pop — soda
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. file — a tool
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. present — there
  23. drill — the tool
  24. roll — a cake

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