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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. drill — the tool
  3. last — finally
  4. drill — a practice
  5. clip — a video
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rash — a series
  9. last — final
  10. clip — to cut
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. clip — for paper
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. rash — hasty
  20. last — to go on
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. drill — army training
  24. squash — the sport

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