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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. band — a music group
  4. mug — a cup
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. band — a ring
  10. clip — for paper
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. mug — to rob
  13. clip — a video
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — in control
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. clip — to cut
  22. charge — a price
  23. kick — in football
  24. bat — the animal

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