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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. clip — a video
  4. last — to go on
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. can — to be able to
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pound — a weight
  15. last — final
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pit — in a race
  19. can — a tin
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. last — finally
  22. clip — for paper
  23. branch — a division
  24. can — a tin

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