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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. scale — size or range
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. scale — in music
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. hand — in cards
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. shower — to wash
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. last — final
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bark — to shout
  18. hand — help
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. mark — a trace
  24. shower — rain

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