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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. bat — the animal
  3. kid — child
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. key — in music
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. key — the most important part
  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