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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: face · row · safe · sharp · file · fork · band · drill

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. file — a document
  5. drill — army training
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. face — to point toward
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. drill — a practice
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — in a road
  15. face — part of the head
  16. file — a tool
  17. band — a music group
  18. face — to confront
  19. drill — the tool
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. sharp — clever
  23. band — a ring
  24. file — a line of people

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