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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: snap · safe · file · board · content · can · hand · cold

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. file — a line of people
  3. content — happy
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to click
  7. board — to get on
  8. cold — an illness
  9. content — the amount
  10. can — to be able to
  11. file — a document
  12. hand — help
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. can — a tin
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. cold — not warm
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. can — a tin
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. board — a committee
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. file — a tool
  24. safe — out of danger

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