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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: mine · kid · bear · bass · pitcher · snap · deal · safe

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. deal — to handle
  3. kid — child
  4. mine — for digging
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bass — the fish
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. kid — to tease
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bear — the animal
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bass — low music
  24. bear — the animal

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