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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stem · staff · club · sharp · mouse · safe · game · straw

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. staff — employees
  3. stem — to come from
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. sharp — clever
  9. club — for golf
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. club — a group
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. club — for dancing
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. sharp — with an edge

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