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

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. sharp — clever
  5. fine — high quality
  6. cell — a phone
  7. fine — all right
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cell — in biology
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. band — a music group
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pass — to succeed

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