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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bark — to shout
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cue — a hint

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