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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 120 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. race — humankind
  5. last — final
  6. race — the arms race
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. clip — a video
  10. last — to go on
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. last — finally
  24. race — a contest

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