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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · bass · safe · pitcher · kid · spring · sharp · pop

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. ball — a dance
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. bass — the fish
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bass — low music
  11. kid — child
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. pop — soda
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. kid — to tease
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. ball — a great time
  24. sharp — with an edge

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