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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. current — of water
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. snap — to click
  8. current — happening now
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pop — to visit
  13. current — electric
  14. pop — music
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bass — low music
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bass — the fish
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pop — soda

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