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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: tube · kick · mate · cap · safe · racket · club · clip

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. clip — to cut
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. kick — in football
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cap — of ice
  10. club — for golf
  11. mate — to breed
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. clip — a video
  14. tube — a container
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mate — a partner
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cap — a lid
  20. mate — a friend
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. safe — out of danger

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