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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 116 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. track — to keep track
  5. shower — rain
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. ground — the earth
  9. drill — army training
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. shower — to wash
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. squash — to crush
  16. ground — a position
  17. track — a song
  18. ground — crushed
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. track — a path

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