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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: clip · hide · mine · tube · pop · date · court · safe

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — a video
  5. pop — soda
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pop — to visit
  8. court — of a king
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. tube — a container
  12. pop — music
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — the underground
  17. court — for sport
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mine — for digging
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. clip — to cut
  24. date — the fruit

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