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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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Word bank
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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 · mark · safe · pop · last · hand · bay · spell

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. last — final
  3. mark — a trace
  4. pop — soda
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. spell — magic
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pop — music
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. spell — a short time
  17. last — finally
  18. pop — to visit
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. hand — help
  22. last — to go on
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. spell — letters

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