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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: straw · plane · hand · safe · trunk · pitch · ball · perch

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. hand — in cards
  3. ball — a dance
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pitch — completely
  6. plane — a tool
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. perch — the fish
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. hand — help
  13. ball — a great time
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. plane — an aircraft

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