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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. chest — a box
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chest — of your body
  16. squash — to crush
  17. prune — to trim
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. sharp — clever

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