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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. degree — an amount
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. clip — a video
  6. deal — to handle
  7. club — for dancing
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. club — a group
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. clip — to cut
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. clip — for paper
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. saw — the tool
  20. degree — temperature
  21. club — for golf
  22. saw — the tool
  23. degree — from a university
  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