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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: rule · safe · file · mine · tube · degree · content · current

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. current — happening now
  3. rule — government
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. current — electric
  6. file — a document
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. file — a line of people
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. current — of water
  16. degree — from a university
  17. content — happy
  18. content — the amount
  19. degree — temperature
  20. rule — a law
  21. tube — a container
  22. file — a tool
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. safe — a strongbox

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