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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. net — in sport
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. clip — for paper
  6. sharp — clever
  7. rush — hurry
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. saw — the tool
  10. row — a line
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. clip — a video
  15. net — for catching
  16. deal — to handle
  17. row — to paddle
  18. clip — to cut
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. net — after costs
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. safe — out of danger

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