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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bass — low music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bass — the fish
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. ground — crushed
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. swing — music
  23. ground — a position
  24. bass — the instrument

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