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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bore — to tire
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bound — certain
  6. bore — to drill
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. prune — to trim
  15. swing — to play on
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bound — obliged
  19. kick — in football
  20. bound — tied together
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. clip — a video
  24. swing — music

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