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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: mate · last · safe · cold · staff · stock · nail · file

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. mate — a partner
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. last — final
  6. file — a document
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. last — to go on
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mate — to breed
  15. cold — not warm
  16. file — a tool
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. last — finally
  19. stock — shares
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cold — an illness
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. nail — for a hammer

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