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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mine — for digging
  6. file — a tool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bass — low music
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bass — the fish
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. file — a line of people
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. file — a document
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. deal — to handle

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