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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bat — the animal
  7. file — a document
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. face — to confront
  12. file — a line of people
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bass — the fish
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. file — a tool
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. safe — a strongbox

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