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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: key · file · deal · mine · pass · safe · capital · perch

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. key — the most important part
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pass — a permit
  7. capital — money
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. perch — the fish
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. key — for a lock
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. key — in music
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. file — a tool
  22. capital — a city
  23. deal — to handle
  24. file — a document

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