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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: file · cold · rest · safe · can · court · wound · wave

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rest — what's left
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wound — an injury
  6. court — for sport
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. can — a tin
  10. wound — an injury
  11. can — to be able to
  12. court — of a king
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. court — of law
  18. file — a tool
  19. can — a tin
  20. file — a document
  21. cold — not warm
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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