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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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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: court · trunk · safe · snap · rash · clip · arm · pass

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pass — a permit
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. court — of law
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. clip — to cut
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. clip — for paper
  14. court — for sport
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. rash — hasty
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. court — of a king
  21. clip — a video
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. rash — a series

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