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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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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: date · lash · straw · safe · board · wake · mug · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. board — a committee
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mug — a face
  16. date — the fruit
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. hand — help
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. board — to get on
  24. date — on the calendar

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