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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: safe · game · rest · file · stick · club · nail · mine

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. safe — a strongbox
  2. game — a match
  3. mine — for digging
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rest — what's left
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — for golf
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. club — a group
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rest — what's left
  21. file — a tool
  22. rest — a break
  23. file — a line of people
  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