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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 116 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: capital · rash · safe · file · mate · rule · chip · root

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. capital — money
  4. mate — a partner
  5. root — of a plant
  6. chip — to eat
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. rule — government
  9. file — a document
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. file — a tool
  13. rule — a law
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a word
  18. mate — to breed
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. mate — a friend
  21. rash — a series
  22. capital — a city
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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