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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. band — a music group
  4. wound — an injury
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. wound — an injury
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mate — a friend
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. shower — rain
  15. bass — low music
  16. shower — to wash
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. band — a ring
  19. season — in sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. season — of the year

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