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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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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: mine · fork · cue · file · bass · rest · sharp · safe

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cue — a signal
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a document
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. rest — a break
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bass — low music
  19. rest — what's left
  20. file — a tool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bass — the fish
  24. safe — out of danger

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