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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. clip — to cut
  3. field — for sport
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. clip — a video
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. field — a subject
  11. clip — for paper
  12. kid — child
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. field — farmland
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rush — hurry
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — a strongbox

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