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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. court — for sport
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. court — of a king
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. capital — a city
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. lie — to recline
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. chest — of your body
  19. court — of law
  20. land — a country
  21. capital — money
  22. chest — a box
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — ground

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