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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: season · file · can · rash · rule · safe · firm · net

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. can — a tin
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — decided
  7. net — after costs
  8. file — a document
  9. net — in sport
  10. firm — steady
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. rash — a series
  17. rule — a law
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. file — a tool
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. net — for catching
  24. file — a line of people

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