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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bank — for money
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. spell — magic
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — in a race
  10. band — a music group
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. spell — a short time
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bank — for money
  17. band — a ring
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spell — letters
  22. bank — of a river
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cell — a phone

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