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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. track — a path
  3. clip — for paper
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fine — high quality
  7. clip — a video
  8. race — the arms race
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. can — to be able to
  11. track — to keep track
  12. can — a tin
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. can — a tin
  16. race — a contest
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. race — humankind
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. track — a song
  24. fine — all right

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