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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mine — for digging
  6. chair — a leader
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. march — music
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cap — a lid
  11. row — a line
  12. march — the month
  13. squash — to crush
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. cap — of ice
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. cap — a hat
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. march — the month

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