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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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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 · file · bowl · coach · wind · mine · ground · deal

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. file — a document
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. file — a tool
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. mine — for digging
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. ground — a position
  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