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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cold — not warm
  3. clip — a video
  4. track — a song
  5. track — to keep track
  6. ball — a dance
  7. clip — to cut
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. can — to be able to
  10. ball — a great time
  11. mate — to breed
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. can — a tin
  15. cold — an illness
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — a friend
  19. stand — to bear
  20. clip — for paper
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. can — a tin
  23. track — a path
  24. cold — the Cold War

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