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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. clip — to cut
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. season — in sport
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cold — not warm
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. season — of the year
  14. sharp — clever
  15. fine — high quality
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. squash — the sport
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. squash — to crush
  24. fine — all right

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