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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: last · staff · current · prune · safe · pit · racket · clip

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. clip — a video
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. staff — a stick
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. current — of water
  11. clip — for paper
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. clip — to cut
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. prune — to trim
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. staff — employees
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. staff — employees
  22. pit — a hole
  23. last — final
  24. prune — the fruit

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