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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. race — humankind
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rush — hurry
  7. clip — to cut
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. clip — for paper
  10. fine — high quality
  11. cue — a signal
  12. clip — a video
  13. band — a music group
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. race — a contest
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. race — the arms race
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. band — a ring
  24. safe — a strongbox

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