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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. scale — in music
  3. clip — to cut
  4. drill — army training
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. clip — a video
  8. drill — a practice
  9. track — a song
  10. track — to keep track
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. scale — size or range
  19. track — a path
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. mine — for digging
  22. drill — the tool
  23. dip — to sink
  24. clip — for paper

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