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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. spring — a coil
  3. staff — employees
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. row — to paddle
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. content — the amount
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. staff — a stick
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. staff — employees
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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