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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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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. date — the fruit
  5. chest — a box
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bass — low music
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. chest — of your body
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wound — an injury
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. chest — of your body
  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