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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. face — part of the head
  5. game — wild animals
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. face — to confront
  8. clip — to cut
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. clip — for paper
  15. toast — bread
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bank — for money
  19. clip — a video
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. face — to point toward
  24. foot — a measure

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