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

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cue — a signal
  3. last — final
  4. lean — to bend
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. track — a path
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — thin
  12. cue — for pool
  13. rock — a stone
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. last — to go on
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. cue — a hint
  21. last — finally
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. track — a song

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