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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: clip · temple · straw · file · safe · mark · content · fork

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. file — a tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. content — happy
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mark — a trace
  9. content — the amount
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. clip — to cut
  15. file — a line of people
  16. clip — a video
  17. fork — in a road
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. file — a document
  21. mark — a grade
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. clip — for paper

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