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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. hand — in cards
  3. fork — in a road
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. face — to point toward
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. clip — for paper
  12. face — part of the head
  13. rush — hurry
  14. band — a ring
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. clip — a video
  21. face — to confront
  22. band — a music group
  23. clip — to cut
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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