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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tear · last · rash · safe · net · fan · clip · deal

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. deal — to handle
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. tear — from crying
  5. last — to go on
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. rash — a series
  9. net — in sport
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. tear — to rip
  15. rash — hasty
  16. net — after costs
  17. clip — a video
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. last — finally
  22. tear — from crying
  23. net — for catching
  24. last — final

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