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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. clip — to cut
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. capital — money
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bear — the animal
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. present — a gift
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. clip — for paper
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. capital — a city
  19. present — there
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. clip — a video
  22. present — the time now
  23. bear — the animal
  24. plane — a tool

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