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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. hand — in cards
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. clip — a video
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. sharp — clever
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. cell — in biology
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. vault — a safe
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. clip — for paper
  19. cell — a phone
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. hand — help
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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