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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 120 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: temple · safe · file · mark · kid · fine · board · rash

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. rash — hasty
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. rash — a series
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. fine — high quality
  9. file — a tool
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. file — a line of people
  12. board — a committee
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. kid — to tease
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. file — a document
  21. kid — child
  22. mark — a trace
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. mark — a grade

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