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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: safe · season · snap · scale · clip · ground · game · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. snap — to click
  3. ground — the earth
  4. clip — for paper
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. season — of the year
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. game — wild animals
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. clip — a video
  17. scale — size or range
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. ground — a position
  21. season — in sport
  22. clip — to cut
  23. scale — in music
  24. ground — crushed

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