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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. current — happening now
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. fall — the season
  5. present — a gift
  6. current — electric
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. current — of water
  9. spring — of water
  10. present — the time now
  11. fall — to drop
  12. spring — the season
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mug — to rob
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. present — there
  17. mug — a face
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. toast — bread
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mug — a cup
  24. toast — the most admired

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