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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rock — music
  3. court — for sport
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. branch — a division
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. court — of law
  8. bass — the fish
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a song
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. chip — to eat
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. track — a path
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. chip — for betting
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. court — of a king
  24. bass — low music

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