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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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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: wind · safe · saw · file · rest · staff · jam · cap

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wind — moving air
  4. staff — employees
  5. cap — a hat
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. staff — a stick
  8. file — a tool
  9. staff — employees
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wind — moving air
  16. saw — the tool
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. rest — what's left
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. safe — a strongbox

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