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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. last — final
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. sharp — clever
  5. saw — the tool
  6. game — a match
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. branch — a division
  10. last — finally
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. stock — goods
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. saw — the tool
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. last — to go on
  23. stock — shares
  24. game — a kind of play

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