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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. spring — a coil
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. key — in music
  7. current — of water
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. craft — a skill
  11. spring — of water
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bound — obliged
  14. spring — the season
  15. bat — the animal
  16. key — for a lock
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. current — electric
  19. bound — tied together
  20. key — the most important part
  21. current — happening now
  22. craft — boats
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. craft — a handicraft

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