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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. deal — to handle
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bat — the animal
  8. court — for sport
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. saw — the tool
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. current — of water
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. hand — help
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. current — electric
  17. court — of law
  18. clip — a video
  19. current — happening now
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. saw — the tool
  24. court — of a king

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