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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. present — a gift
  3. bound — certain
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. clip — a video
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. bound — obliged
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. present — the time now
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. present — there
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. clip — to cut
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. clip — for paper
  20. chip — to eat
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bound — tied together
  23. chip — for betting
  24. mine — for digging

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