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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mate — to breed
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. spell — letters
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. drill — the tool
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mate — a partner
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. drill — a practice
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mate — a friend
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. clip — to cut
  20. drill — army training
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. safe — out of danger

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