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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: club · fork · file · deal · safe · chest · trunk · race

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. race — humankind
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. fork — in a road
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. file — a tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. club — for dancing
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. chest — of your body
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. file — a line of people
  18. race — the arms race
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. deal — to handle
  21. chest — a box
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. race — a contest
  24. fork — to eat with

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