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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: ball · mug · trunk · clip · rule · safe · content · saw

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. clip — a video
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mug — a cup
  5. rule — a law
  6. clip — for paper
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mug — to rob
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mug — a face
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rule — government
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. clip — to cut
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — happy
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — a strongbox

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