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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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. club — for dancing
  3. clip — to cut
  4. press — to push
  5. fine — high quality
  6. club — a group
  7. press — newspapers
  8. land — to come down
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bank — for money
  11. fine — all right
  12. bank — for money
  13. face — to point toward
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bank — of a river
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. clip — a video
  21. face — part of the head
  22. club — for golf
  23. face — to confront
  24. fine — a penalty

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