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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bat — the animal
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wake — a trail
  7. march — the month
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. march — the month
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. saw — the tool
  21. march — music
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. deal — a big deal

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