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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  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. safe — a strongbox
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. firm — a company
  4. clip — for paper
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. drill — a practice
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a committee
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. fine — all right
  15. firm — decided
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. firm — steady
  19. clip — a video
  20. fine — high quality
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. clip — to cut
  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