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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: saw · ground · sharp · kid · stand · straw · safe · stick

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. sharp — clever
  3. ground — the earth
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. ground — crushed
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. stand — to bear
  15. kid — to tease
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. ground — a position
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — child
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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