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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 116 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. swing — in golf
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bank — for money
  6. clip — a video
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. swing — to play on
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bank — of a river
  13. chair — a leader
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. swing — music
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bank — for money
  20. vault — a safe
  21. pound — a weight
  22. fork — in a road
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. clip — to cut

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