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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. drill — the tool
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. tear — from crying
  5. season — in sport
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. clip — a video
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. tear — from crying
  11. face — part of the head
  12. drill — a practice
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. drill — army training
  15. clip — to cut
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pound — a weight
  20. face — to confront
  21. season — of the year
  22. face — to point toward
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pound — to hit hard

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