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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. clip — for paper
  4. face — to confront
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. clip — a video
  7. wound — an injury
  8. face — part of the head
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. court — for sport
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. court — of a king
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rush — hurry
  19. face — to point toward
  20. clip — to cut
  21. shower — rain
  22. court — of law
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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