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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: rush · degree · staff · safe · hand · mark · fork · file

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. degree — an amount
  3. file — a line of people
  4. hand — help
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. degree — temperature
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rush — hurry
  13. staff — a stick
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. staff — employees
  17. degree — from a university
  18. staff — employees
  19. mark — a grade
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. hand — in cards
  22. file — a tool
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. file — a document

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