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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rash — a series
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rash — hasty
  9. clip — to cut
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. clip — a video
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bulb — for light
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bulb — for light

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