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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. fine — all right
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. mug — a face
  6. fine — high quality
  7. tube — the underground
  8. mug — a cup
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mug — to rob
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. tube — a container
  21. dip — to sink
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. tube — in a tire

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