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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: safe · band · object · capital · stick · clip · sharp · staff

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. object — to protest
  3. clip — a video
  4. band — a ring
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. object — a thing
  8. staff — employees
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. sharp — clever
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. object — an aim
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. clip — to cut
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. capital — money
  19. clip — for paper
  20. capital — a city
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. staff — employees
  23. band — a music group
  24. staff — a stick

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