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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: date · mark · clip · craft · kid · last · safe · land

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mark — a grade
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. last — final
  7. kid — to tease
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mark — a trace
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. craft — a skill
  12. last — finally
  13. date — the fruit
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. last — to go on
  17. craft — boats
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. clip — for paper
  21. land — a country
  22. clip — a video
  23. kid — child
  24. mark — to pay attention

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