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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. pop — soda
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pop — to visit
  7. row — a line
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. track — a song
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mate — a partner
  12. track — to keep track
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mate — to breed
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pop — music
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. track — a path
  24. wind — moving air

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