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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · mine · sharp · clip · staff · pound · safe · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rest — a break
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. staff — a stick
  7. clip — a video
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. season — in sport
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mine — for digging
  14. clip — to cut
  15. staff — employees
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. clip — for paper
  21. staff — employees
  22. season — of the year
  23. rest — what's left
  24. safe — out of danger

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