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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · object · club · bat · roll · scale · wind · safe

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. object — to protest
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wind — moving air
  8. object — an aim
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. roll — a cake
  13. scale — size or range
  14. club — a group
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wind — moving air
  17. club — for dancing
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. object — a thing
  22. bat — the animal
  23. scale — in music
  24. safe — a strongbox

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