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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 120 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cue — for pool
  6. lean — to bend
  7. stock — goods
  8. current — electric
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bat — the animal
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. current — of water
  14. current — happening now
  15. cue — a signal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stock — shares
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. lean — thin

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