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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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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: chest · prune · ruler · bat · clip · present · safe · pass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. chest — a box
  4. prune — to trim
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — a permit
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. present — the time now
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. clip — a video
  15. chest — of your body
  16. present — there
  17. present — a gift
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bat — the animal
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. chest — of your body
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bat — in an idiom

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