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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: straw · wake · band · arm · cue · pit · safe · bear

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. band — a ring
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. band — a music group
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pit — in a race
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — for pool
  24. arm — part of the body

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