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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pit — a hole
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. ball — a great time
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. branch — a division
  16. pit — in a race
  17. ball — a dance
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bat — the animal
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. safe — out of danger

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