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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bound — tied together
  3. row — a line
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. pit — in a race
  7. row — to paddle
  8. race — the arms race
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. race — a contest
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. race — humankind
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. pit — a hole
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bound — certain

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