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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.

Make a worksheet

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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. clip — for paper
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. court — of law
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. saw — the tool
  9. court — for sport
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. clip — a video
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. court — of a king
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. clip — to cut
  24. calf — of the leg

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