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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rock · mate · file · safe · clip · chest · season · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. clip — to cut
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. clip — for paper
  5. rock — a stone
  6. season — of the year
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. file — a tool
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rock — music
  13. file — a document
  14. chest — of your body
  15. clip — a video
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — to breed
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. mate — a friend
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  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