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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. march — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. pop — soda
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. march — the month
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pop — music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pop — to visit
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. march — the month
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. swing — in golf
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. swing — music

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