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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. sharp — clever
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. clip — a video
  8. land — a country
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. clip — to cut
  18. land — ground
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. land — to come down
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. clip — for paper
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wound — an injury

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