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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: tube · straw · bound · bat · court · safe · pop · staff

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bound — tied together
  3. tube — the underground
  4. court — of law
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. tube — a container
  7. pop — music
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. staff — employees
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bound — certain
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. court — of a king
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bound — obliged
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. court — for sport

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