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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. drill — army training
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cell — in biology
  7. staff — employees
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. clip — a video
  10. drill — the tool
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. staff — employees
  13. game — a match
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bank — for money
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. drill — a practice
  19. last — finally
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. cell — a phone
  22. staff — a stick
  23. game — wild animals
  24. last — final

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