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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: safe · wind · shower · fork · swing · clip · cabinet · firm

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. firm — steady
  3. swing — in golf
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. clip — a video
  8. shower — to wash
  9. wind — moving air
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. firm — decided
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fork — in a road
  14. wind — moving air
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. swing — music
  17. clip — to cut
  18. shower — rain
  19. clip — for paper
  20. firm — a company
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. swing — to play on

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