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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. can — a tin
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pound — a weight
  7. can — to be able to
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. stock — goods
  10. kid — child
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. shower — rain
  14. can — a tin
  15. band — a music group
  16. shower — to wash
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. kid — to tease
  19. stock — shares
  20. band — a ring
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. safe — a strongbox

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