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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bear — the animal
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. kick — in football
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bear — the animal
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. saw — the tool
  24. kick — a thrill

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