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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. ball — a dance
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mine — for digging
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. shower — rain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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