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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. shower — to wash
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. clip — a video
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. tube — the underground
  11. clip — for paper
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. net — for catching
  14. tube — a container
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. clip — to cut
  17. net — after costs
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. net — in sport
  20. bear — the animal
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. hand — help
  23. shower — rain
  24. tube — in a tire

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