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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. roll — a cake
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a list
  13. cold — not warm
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. game — wild animals
  18. current — happening now
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. current — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. game — a match
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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