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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. clip — for paper
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. spell — magic
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. cold — not warm
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cold — an illness
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. chip — for betting
  17. spell — letters
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. wound — an injury
  22. clip — a video
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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