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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 124 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  3. kid — child
  4. clip — to cut
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kid — to tease
  7. clip — a video
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. content — the amount
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. capital — money
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. toast — bread
  18. saw — the tool
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. content — happy
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. capital — a city
  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