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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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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: file · shower · bowl · ground · safe · clip · mate · rule

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. rule — a law
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. ground — crushed
  5. clip — for paper
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. ground — a position
  8. mate — to breed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. rule — government
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. shower — to wash
  20. clip — to cut
  21. shower — rain
  22. clip — a video
  23. safe — out of danger
  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