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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — a hole
  5. snap — to click
  6. bass — low music
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bank — for money
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. last — finally
  15. bank — for money
  16. pit — in a race
  17. sharp — clever
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. last — to go on
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bank — of a river
  23. last — final
  24. bat — the animal

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