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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: pit · craft · safe · rule · ground · bat · nail · straw

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. craft — boats
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rule — a law
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. ground — crushed
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bat — the animal
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. ground — a position
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pit — in a race
  23. craft — a handicraft
  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