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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 116 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: bear · clip · race · fine · hand · trunk · pit · safe

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. clip — for paper
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. hand — help
  11. pit — a hole
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. clip — a video
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bear — the animal
  17. clip — to cut
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. fine — all right
  21. race — a contest
  22. bear — the animal
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. trunk — of a car

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