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

Word bank: bay · land · clip · deal · foot · patient · safe · march

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. clip — to cut
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. land — ground
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. march — the month
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. land — to come down
  18. clip — for paper
  19. march — the month
  20. land — a country
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. march — music
  24. clip — a video

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