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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. chest — of your body
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bank — for money
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bank — for money
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. spell — letters
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. spell — magic
  18. pit — a hole
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bass — low music
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. chest — a box
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bank — of a river

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