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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. staff — employees
  4. fall — to drop
  5. clip — a video
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. game — a match
  8. fall — to drop
  9. squash — to crush
  10. clip — for paper
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. clip — to cut
  13. staff — employees
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — a gift
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. fall — the season
  18. band — a ring
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. band — a music group
  22. game — wild animals
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. staff — a stick

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