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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.

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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. clip — for paper
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. clip — to cut
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. dip — to sink
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cap — a lid
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. clip — a video
  17. cap — of ice
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. scale — size or range
  21. date — the fruit
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. cap — a hat
  24. safe — out of danger

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