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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. present — a gift
  3. saw — the tool
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. game — wild animals
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — decided
  8. present — there
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — a permit
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. game — a match
  14. clip — a video
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. scale — in music
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. clip — to cut
  20. scale — size or range
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. present — the time now
  24. firm — steady

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