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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. race — the arms race
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pound — a weight
  6. squash — to crush
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. clip — a video
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — bread
  14. race — humankind
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. race — a contest
  18. shower — to wash
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. shower — rain
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bat — the animal

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