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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
468
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 · chip · track · safe · mate · cold · nail · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. track — a path
  4. file — a document
  5. chip — for betting
  6. file — a line of people
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. track — to keep track
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. mate — a partner
  13. net — in sport
  14. mate — to breed
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. net — for catching
  17. track — a song
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. file — a tool
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. mate — a friend

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