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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. race — humankind
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. foot — a measure
  16. pound — a weight
  17. race — a contest
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. race — the arms race
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. straw — dry grass

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