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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.

Make a worksheet

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: safe · row · lie · mine · straw · roll · file · jam

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. lie — to recline
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. row — to paddle
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. roll — a cake
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. file — a document
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. file — a tool
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. roll — a list
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. row — a line
  21. mine — for digging
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. jam — a tight spot

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