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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: clip · game · craft · safe · racket · tear · lie · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. clip — to cut
  6. tear — from crying
  7. content — happy
  8. tear — to rip
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. clip — a video
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. game — wild animals
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — boats
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. game — a match
  19. tear — from crying
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. clip — for paper
  23. lie — to recline
  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