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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: last · safe · mate · cell · racket · mine · bulb · file

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mine — for digging
  4. file — a tool
  5. mate — a partner
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. last — final
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cell — in biology
  12. mate — a friend
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. cell — a phone
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. last — finally
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. file — a document
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. last — to go on
  24. safe — out of danger

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