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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. chest — of your body
  8. band — a ring
  9. pit — in a race
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — the fruit
  13. pit — a hole
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. can — to be able to
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. band — a music group
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. chest — a box
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. chest — of your body
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. can — a tin

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