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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. saw — the tool
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bass — the fish
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. rule — government
  11. club — a group
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. swing — in golf
  14. club — for golf
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. club — for dancing
  17. swing — to play on
  18. saw — the tool
  19. swing — music
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rule — a law
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bass — low music
  24. wound — an injury

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