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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. spell — magic
  3. saw — the tool
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bass — low music
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. degree — temperature
  12. last — final
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bass — the fish
  17. degree — an amount
  18. last — to go on
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. last — finally
  21. mate — a partner
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mate — a friend
  24. degree — from a university

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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