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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bank — for money
  4. season — in sport
  5. clip — a video
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. season — of the year
  8. squash — to crush
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bank — of a river
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. clip — for paper
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. squash — the sport
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bank — for money
  24. clip — to cut

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