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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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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: saw · pop · clip · season · fall · safe · track · cap

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pop — soda
  4. cap — a hat
  5. clip — to cut
  6. fall — to drop
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. saw — the tool
  9. track — a path
  10. season — of the year
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. cap — a lid
  13. season — in sport
  14. clip — a video
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fall — the season
  17. clip — for paper
  18. track — to keep track
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. pop — music
  21. cap — of ice
  22. pop — to visit
  23. fall — to drop
  24. track — a song

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