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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. cold — not warm
  4. hand — help
  5. swing — music
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. swing — in golf
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. swing — to play on
  15. cold — an illness
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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