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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. band — a ring
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. clip — a video
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. band — a music group
  22. clip — for paper
  23. toast — bread
  24. clip — to cut

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