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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fine — high quality
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bass — low music
  6. fine — all right
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. march — the month
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bass — the fish
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. content — the amount
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. mine — for digging
  20. content — happy
  21. march — music
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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