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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. clip — a video
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pitch — completely
  6. staff — a stick
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. clip — to cut
  14. staff — employees
  15. game — a match
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. game — wild animals
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. clip — for paper
  24. staff — employees

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