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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 120 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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. deal — to handle
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. last — to go on
  7. rock — music
  8. wax — to grow
  9. march — music
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. last — finally
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. rock — a stone
  18. march — the month
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. last — final
  23. march — the month
  24. safe — out of danger

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