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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. can — to be able to
  3. bass — low music
  4. ground — a position
  5. can — a tin
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. ground — crushed
  9. sharp — clever
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. can — a tin
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. ground — the earth
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. race — the arms race
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. race — humankind
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. race — a contest
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — the fish

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