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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.

Make a worksheet

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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mug — a face
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. clip — for paper
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. clip — a video
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mug — to rob
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. drill — army training
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. drill — a practice
  16. date — the fruit
  17. degree — an amount
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mug — a cup
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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