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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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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 · file · stick · foot · chip · cell · rule · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rule — a law
  4. chip — for betting
  5. rule — government
  6. file — a tool
  7. cell — a phone
  8. chip — to eat
  9. cell — in biology
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. season — of the year
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. foot — a measure
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. cell — in a prison

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