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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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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: content · bear · mark · safe · swing · clip · mate · cell

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mate — a partner
  4. clip — for paper
  5. swing — music
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. mate — a friend
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mark — a grade
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. clip — to cut
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mark — a trace
  15. content — happy
  16. bear — the animal
  17. clip — a video
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bear — the animal
  20. content — the amount
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mate — to breed
  23. swing — to play on
  24. cell — a phone

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