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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 120 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: ruler · saw · clip · fine · safe · cold · root · cue

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. clip — for paper
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — of a word
  5. cold — an illness
  6. clip — to cut
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cue — for pool
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. cue — a hint
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cue — a signal
  19. fine — all right
  20. cold — not warm
  21. clip — a video
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. root — the cause
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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