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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bass — the fish
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wake — a trail
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. present — the time now
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. hand — help
  19. dip — to sink
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. present — a gift
  22. tube — a container
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. tube — in a tire

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