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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cell — in biology
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. dip — to sink
  7. pass — a permit
  8. cell — a phone
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — low music
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bat — the animal
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bass — the fish
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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