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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bass — low music
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wound — an injury
  9. lie — to recline
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bass — the fish
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — the arms race
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. race — a contest
  24. saw — the tool

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