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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. content — happy
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. lean — to bend
  8. net — for catching
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. wake — a trail
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. net — in sport
  14. stand — to bear
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. mine — for digging
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. content — the amount
  21. net — after costs
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. stand — on your feet
  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