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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. present — there
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. present — a gift
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. present — the time now
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. clip — to cut
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pound — a weight
  15. clip — a video
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. chair — a leader
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. clip — for paper
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. temple — a place of worship

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