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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. plane — a tool
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. rest — a break
  8. hand — help
  9. race — humankind
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rest — what's left
  14. race — the arms race
  15. rest — what's left
  16. content — the amount
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. content — happy
  21. race — a contest
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bark — of a tree

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