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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. hand — in cards
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. dip — to sink
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cell — in biology
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. kid — to tease
  12. hand — help
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. bass — the fish
  16. kid — child
  17. ball — a great time
  18. staff — a stick
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. ball — a dance
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. cell — a phone

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