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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. track — to keep track
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. rest — a break
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. track — a song
  10. cell — in biology
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. perch — the fish
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rest — what's left
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rule — government
  22. cell — a phone
  23. track — a path
  24. rest — what's left

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