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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bound — certain
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bear — the animal
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. court — for sport
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. chip — for betting
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bound — obliged
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. dip — to sink
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. chip — to eat
  18. squash — to crush
  19. court — of law
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. court — of a king
  23. bound — tied together
  24. squash — the vegetable

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