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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bear — the animal
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. clip — to cut
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. clip — for paper
  11. present — there
  12. date — the fruit
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. present — a gift
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. present — the time now
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. mine — for digging
  24. clip — a video

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