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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 116 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. craft — a skill
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. ball — a dance
  9. band — a ring
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. kid — child
  13. cap — a lid
  14. kid — to tease
  15. ball — a great time
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. band — a music group
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. safe — a strongbox

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