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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. clip — to cut
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. clip — for paper
  14. lie — to recline
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. race — a contest
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. race — the arms race
  20. clip — a video
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. fork — in a road
  24. race — humankind

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