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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bear — the animal
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bear — the animal
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. chair — a leader
  20. clip — a video
  21. bass — the fish
  22. game — wild animals
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. game — a match

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