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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. track — a song
  3. drill — the tool
  4. press — to push
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. drill — army training
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. deal — to handle
  12. press — newspapers
  13. last — to go on
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. last — final
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. drill — a practice
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. track — a path
  22. press — a publisher
  23. track — to keep track
  24. last — finally

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