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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. suit — in cards
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. tear — to rip
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a face
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. fork — in a road
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. clip — a video
  15. tear — from crying
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. game — wild animals
  18. tear — from crying
  19. suit — clothes
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. suit — to fit

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