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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 120 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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. tube — the underground
  4. clip — a video
  5. band — a music group
  6. clip — to cut
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. band — a ring
  10. pass — a permit
  11. row — a line
  12. clip — for paper
  13. row — to paddle
  14. tube — a container
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. band — a rubber band

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