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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 116 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
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: saw · court · rash · track · fan · snap · safe · straw

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. court — of a king
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. track — to keep track
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rash — hasty
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. rash — a series
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. saw — the tool
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. court — of law
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. court — for sport
  24. track — a song

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