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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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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: hand · season · ball · safe · cue · clip · row · plane

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. clip — a video
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. cue — a hint
  14. row — a line
  15. cue — a signal
  16. ball — a dance
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ball — a great time
  19. row — to paddle
  20. cue — for pool
  21. clip — to cut
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — in cards
  24. clip — for paper

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