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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: clip · hide · board · date · bulb · cold · safe · ruler

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bulb — for light
  3. board — a committee
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cold — an illness
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. clip — for paper
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. board — to get on
  12. clip — to cut
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. date — the fruit
  23. clip — a video
  24. safe — out of danger

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