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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. clip — a video
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. clip — to cut
  9. cap — of ice
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. degree — from a university
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. clip — for paper
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. deal — to handle
  18. cap — a lid
  19. mine — for digging
  20. squash — to crush
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. degree — temperature
  24. cap — a hat

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