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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bass — low music
  9. key — in music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. mug — a face
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. snap — to click
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bass — the fish
  21. mug — a cup
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. mug — to rob
  24. 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