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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · kid · spell · game · mouse · leaves · safe · current

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. game — wild animals
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. spell — letters
  6. current — of water
  7. kid — to tease
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. kid — child
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. current — electric
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. spell — magic
  15. game — a match
  16. spell — a short time
  17. current — happening now
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. straw — dry grass

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