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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. race — humankind
  3. clip — a video
  4. cold — an illness
  5. race — a contest
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. clip — to cut
  8. race — the arms race
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. net — for catching
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cold — not warm
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. temple — side of the head

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