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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bound — certain
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rush — hurry
  9. prune — to trim
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. clip — to cut
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bound — obliged
  21. prune — to trim
  22. clip — a video
  23. drill — the tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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