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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 124 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. drill — the tool
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. last — to go on
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. track — a song
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. last — final
  11. drill — a practice
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. last — finally
  14. track — to keep track
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. track — a path
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. drill — army training
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — in music
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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