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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. drill — the tool
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bass — the fish
  6. drill — a practice
  7. saw — the tool
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. clip — a video
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. chip — for betting
  13. clip — for paper
  14. drill — army training
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cold — not warm
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. trunk — of a car

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