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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 116 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wake — a trail
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. game — a match
  7. field — a subject
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. field — farmland
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. game — wild animals
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. shower — rain
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. saw — the tool
  23. field — for sport
  24. shower — to wash

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