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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: chest · file · row · kick · hide · mine · safe · bowl

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. row — to paddle
  9. file — a document
  10. mine — for digging
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. row — a line
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. kick — in football
  19. file — a line of people
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. chest — a box
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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