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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. spring — of water
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. pitch — completely
  12. kid — to tease
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. kid — child
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. spring — a coil
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. track — to keep track
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. track — a path
  24. spring — the season

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