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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 116 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.

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: safe · clip · kick · face · nail · last · squash · stock

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. face — part of the head
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — the sport
  6. stock — goods
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. squash — to crush
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. face — to confront
  14. clip — a video
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. kick — in football
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. face — to point toward
  24. last — final

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