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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. clip — to cut
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. scale — in music
  12. capital — money
  13. clip — a video
  14. capital — a city
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rush — hurry
  22. court — for sport
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. clip — for paper

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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