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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. shower — rain
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. plane — a tool
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bark — to shout
  18. chair — a leader
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. straw — a straw man

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