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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 120 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pit — in a race
  4. suit — in cards
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. wound — an injury
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pit — a hole
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. suit — clothes
  15. present — there
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. clip — to cut
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. present — the time now
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. suit — to fit
  23. clip — a video
  24. present — a gift

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