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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. field — farmland
  6. pop — to visit
  7. clip — for paper
  8. field — a subject
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. clip — a video
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — soda
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. tear — from crying
  17. present — a gift
  18. field — for sport
  19. tear — to rip
  20. sharp — clever
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. clip — to cut
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cabinet — ministers

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