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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 120 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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pass — a permit
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. cap — a lid
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cap — a hat
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. kick — in football
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stand — to bear
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. clip — a video
  22. cap — of ice
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. clip — for paper

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