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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: snap · saw · safe · sharp · court · wound · spell · file

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. court — of a king
  3. snap — to click
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. file — a line of people
  6. spell — magic
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. court — of law
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. sharp — clever
  16. spell — letters
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. spell — a short time
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. file — a tool
  22. court — for sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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