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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. staff — employees
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. game — a match
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. track — a song
  13. bulb — for light
  14. roll — a cake
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. track — a path
  18. roll — a list
  19. bulb — for light
  20. staff — a stick
  21. track — to keep track
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. staff — employees
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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