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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mug — a cup
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. mug — a face
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — a law
  16. band — a ring
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. clip — a video
  22. band — a music group
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mug — to rob

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