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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: nail · rule · file · field · safe · degree · chest · firm

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. degree — temperature
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. file — a document
  5. field — farmland
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rule — a law
  8. chest — a box
  9. file — a line of people
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. chest — of your body
  12. firm — decided
  13. field — a subject
  14. firm — steady
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. firm — a company
  18. field — for sport
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. degree — from a university
  22. rule — government
  23. degree — an amount
  24. rule — to rule out

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