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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: hand · sharp · safe · file · cabinet · kid · can · content

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. kid — child
  7. file — a document
  8. sharp — clever
  9. file — a line of people
  10. can — a tin
  11. content — happy
  12. content — the amount
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. can — a tin
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. kid — to tease
  21. can — to be able to
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. file — a tool
  24. hand — help

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