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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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: spell · face · ground · safe · row · hide · content · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. file — a tool
  6. face — to point toward
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. ground — a position
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. file — a document
  12. row — a line
  13. face — to confront
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. row — to paddle
  16. spell — letters
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. face — part of the head
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. hide — animal skin

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