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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rest · safe · court · suit · land · can · cabinet · file

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. court — of law
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. rest — what's left
  5. land — ground
  6. rest — a break
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. can — a tin
  10. land — a country
  11. can — to be able to
  12. suit — clothes
  13. file — a document
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rest — what's left
  16. suit — to fit
  17. file — a tool
  18. court — for sport
  19. land — to come down
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. can — a tin
  22. court — of a king
  23. suit — in cards
  24. file — a line of people

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