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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. clip — a video
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. swing — in golf
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. net — for catching
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. net — after costs
  12. clip — for paper
  13. swing — to play on
  14. net — in sport
  15. foot — a measure
  16. swing — music
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. saw — the tool
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. clip — to cut
  24. spell — letters

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