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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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Word bank
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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. clip — to cut
  6. content — happy
  7. wind — moving air
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. present — the time now
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pit — in a race
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. content — the amount
  16. pit — a hole
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. present — there
  19. wind — moving air
  20. present — a gift
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. safe — out of danger

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