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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 120 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. spring — a coil
  4. shower — rain
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bulb — for light
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. dip — to sink
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. spring — the season
  12. shower — to wash
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bulb — for light
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. spring — of water
  18. cap — a hat
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. cap — of ice
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. safe — a strongbox

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