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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.

Make a worksheet

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: safe · mine · cell · can · file · lash · spell · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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. game — a kind of play
  2. mine — for digging
  3. can — to be able to
  4. spell — magic
  5. file — a line of people
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. can — a tin
  8. game — wild animals
  9. spell — a short time
  10. file — a document
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. game — a match
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. cell — a phone
  16. spell — letters
  17. file — a tool
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cell — in biology
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. can — a tin
  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