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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 120 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: file · hand · safe · deal · saw · sharp · leaves · march

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. hand — in cards
  6. deal — to handle
  7. file — a line of people
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. file — a tool
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. march — music
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. hand — help
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. file — a document
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. safe — out of danger

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