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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. fall — to drop
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. fall — the season
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. cell — in biology
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pitch — completely
  14. race — humankind
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. race — the arms race
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. race — a contest
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cell — a phone

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