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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rash — a series
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. game — wild animals
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. file — a line of people
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. game — a match
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mine — for digging
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. rash — hasty
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mine — belonging to me

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