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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bank — for money
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rest — a break
  9. season — in sport
  10. bank — for money
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bank — of a river
  14. season — of the year
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. ground — crushed
  17. cell — in biology
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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