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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: march · row · racket · file · rest · spell · safe · land

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. file — a line of people
  4. land — a country
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. land — ground
  8. spell — letters
  9. march — the month
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. rest — a break
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. rest — what's left
  14. march — music
  15. row — to paddle
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. land — to come down
  18. march — the month
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a tool
  24. row — a line

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