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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. bear — the animal
  6. clip — for paper
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. ball — a dance
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. clip — to cut
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. fine — all right
  17. clip — a video
  18. kick — in football

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