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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rock — a stone
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rock — music
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. shower — to wash
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. wake — a trail
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. shower — rain
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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