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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: cabinet · last · tube · safe · land · hand · cold · file

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. last — final
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. file — a document
  6. land — a country
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. land — to come down
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. last — finally
  14. cold — an illness
  15. land — ground
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. hand — help
  19. tube — a container
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. last — to go on
  24. tube — the underground

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