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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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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 · wake · safe · bay · cap · club · chest · race

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. race — a contest
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. club — for dancing
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. race — humankind
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. clip — to cut
  11. chest — a box
  12. race — the arms race
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. club — a group
  15. cap — a hat
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. chest — of your body
  18. club — for golf
  19. cap — of ice
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. clip — for paper
  22. chest — of your body
  23. clip — a video
  24. cap — a lid

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