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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: ruler · face · safe · drill · date · pop · clip · season

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. pop — music
  3. face — to point toward
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. season — in sport
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. face — part of the head
  10. drill — army training
  11. face — to confront
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. drill — the tool
  16. season — of the year
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — soda
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. drill — a practice
  24. date — the fruit

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