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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. object — an aim
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. deal — to handle
  7. object — a thing
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cold — an illness
  18. object — to protest
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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