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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: rush · safe · kid · firm · game · clip · bark · ground

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. firm — steady
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. firm — decided
  11. firm — a company
  12. kid — to tease
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. game — a match
  16. clip — to cut
  17. ground — a position
  18. clip — a video
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. kid — child
  21. rush — hurry
  22. ground — the earth
  23. clip — for paper
  24. ground — crushed

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