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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. present — there
  5. present — the time now
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. craft — boats
  9. pitch — completely
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. chest — a box
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a music group
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. chest — of your body
  17. clip — a video
  18. chest — of your body
  19. present — a gift
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a dish

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