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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: safe · present · wake · clip · content · pound · rest · mark

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mark — a grade
  3. present — the time now
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. content — happy
  7. mark — a trace
  8. clip — for paper
  9. rest — a break
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pound — a weight
  15. clip — a video
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. present — there
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. present — a gift

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