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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: net · safe · file · rule · clip · object · hide · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. clip — for paper
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. file — a line of people
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — a thing
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rule — a law
  9. net — after costs
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. file — a document
  12. field — farmland
  13. net — in sport
  14. clip — a video
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. net — for catching
  18. file — a tool
  19. object — an aim
  20. rule — government
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. field — a subject
  24. hide — to keep secret

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