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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 124 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. court — for sport
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. shower — to wash
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bass — low music
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. court — of law
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. court — of a king
  21. pitch — completely
  22. toast — bread
  23. shower — rain
  24. pitch — a sports field

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