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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: perch · cue · safe · dip · race · pitcher · straw · object

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. race — the arms race
  5. cue — for pool
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cue — a signal
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cue — a hint
  10. object — an aim
  11. race — a contest
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. race — humankind
  15. object — a thing
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. dip — to sink
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. object — to protest
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. perch — the fish

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