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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: bat · swing · safe · plane · straw · rash · hand · last

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. swing — to play on
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. hand — in cards
  8. swing — music
  9. last — to go on
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. hand — help
  15. plane — a tool
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. rash — hasty
  20. last — finally
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. swing — in golf
  23. last — final
  24. rash — a series

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