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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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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. wound — an injury
  3. roll — a list
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. roll — a cake
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. ball — a great time
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. date — the fruit
  17. ball — a dance
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. clip — to cut
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. deal — to handle
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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