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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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. plane — a tool
  4. can — a tin
  5. clip — for paper
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cold — not warm
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — an illness
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. can — to be able to
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. can — a tin
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. clip — a video
  22. court — of a king
  23. clip — to cut
  24. safe — a strongbox

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