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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. spring — a coil
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. spring — the season
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. mug — a face
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — a skill
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. hand — in cards
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. spring — of water
  20. craft — boats
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. mug — to rob
  24. hand — help

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