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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
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: file · bore · squash · wave · shower · safe · clip · game

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. game — wild animals
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bore — to tire
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bore — to drill
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. shower — rain
  13. file — a tool
  14. clip — a video
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. squash — to crush
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a document
  20. clip — to cut
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. clip — for paper
  23. squash — the sport
  24. game — a match

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