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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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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: safe · degree · content · hide · bark · court · rock · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  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. file — a line of people
  2. content — happy
  3. content — the amount
  4. file — a tool
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. file — a document
  7. bark — to shout
  8. court — of law
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. court — of a king
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. court — for sport
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. degree — an amount
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rock — a stone
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rock — music
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. degree — from a university
  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