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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: pit · jam · drill · safe · swing · clip · racket · rush

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. drill — army training
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. rush — hurry
  5. drill — a practice
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. swing — to play on
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pit — in a race
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — music
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. pit — a hole
  20. drill — the tool
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — a video

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