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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bound — certain
  3. clip — to cut
  4. track — a song
  5. wound — an injury
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bound — obliged
  8. dip — to sink
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. clip — a video
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. track — to keep track
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. track — a path
  20. wound — an injury
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bound — tied together
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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