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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bass — low music
  8. tube — a container
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. mine — for digging
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. tube — the underground
  23. scale — in music
  24. straw — dry grass

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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