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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. foot — a measure
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. swing — to play on
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. swing — in golf
  13. scale — size or range
  14. swing — music
  15. scale — in music
  16. sharp — clever
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. scale — for weighing

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