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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. row — a line
  3. sharp — clever
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. scale — size or range
  6. charge — electricity
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bass — the fish
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. file — a tool
  14. row — to paddle
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. charge — in control
  17. file — a line of people
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. charge — a price
  22. file — a document
  23. bass — low music
  24. scale — in music

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