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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. rest — what's left
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. foot — a measure
  6. clip — to cut
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wake — a trail
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rest — a break
  19. bat — the animal
  20. clip — for paper
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. clip — a video

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