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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. mug — a cup
  4. squash — to crush
  5. firm — a company
  6. march — music
  7. firm — steady
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mug — a face
  10. squash — the sport
  11. march — the month
  12. rash — hasty
  13. cell — a phone
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rash — a series
  19. firm — decided
  20. cell — in biology
  21. march — the month
  22. mug — to rob
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. clip — to cut

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