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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. foot — a measure
  3. drill — a practice
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. present — a gift
  7. drill — army training
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. suit — clothes
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. drill — the tool
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mine — for digging
  17. suit — to fit
  18. pitch — completely
  19. present — the time now
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — to cut
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. suit — in cards

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