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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: staff · mate · firm · chest · straw · safe · clip · wind

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. staff — employees
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mate — to breed
  5. staff — a stick
  6. clip — a video
  7. staff — employees
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. mate — a partner
  11. clip — to cut
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — decided
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mate — a friend
  19. firm — a company
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wind — moving air
  23. chest — of your body
  24. safe — out of danger

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