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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. club — a group
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. clip — for paper
  6. club — for dancing
  7. kid — child
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mate — a partner
  10. clip — a video
  11. march — music
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bore — to tire
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. march — the month
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bore — to drill
  23. march — the month
  24. club — for golf

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