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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fine — all right
  5. object — an aim
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. clip — for paper
  11. stem — to come from
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. clip — a video
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. object — a thing
  16. deal — to handle
  17. object — to protest
  18. pitch — completely
  19. clip — to cut
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. band — a music group
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. band — a ring

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