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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cue — a signal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. clip — for paper
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. object — to protest
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. cue — for pool
  14. object — a thing
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. clip — a video
  17. wound — an injury
  18. shower — to wash
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. branch — a division
  22. shower — rain
  23. object — an aim
  24. branch — of a tree

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