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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.

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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: file · safe · mate · rule · stand · rock · wind · ball

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. mate — to breed
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. file — a tool
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rock — music
  8. wind — moving air
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. rule — a law
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stand — to bear
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. file — a line of people
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — a stone
  22. file — a document
  23. ball — a great time
  24. rule — government

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