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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 120 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: safe · bear · key · track · game · cell · straw · tear

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. key — for a lock
  3. tear — to rip
  4. track — a song
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cell — in biology
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. track — a path
  10. key — in music
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. key — the most important part
  14. tear — from crying
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. track — to keep track
  18. cell — a phone
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. tear — from crying
  22. game — a match
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. safe — out of danger

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