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

Word bank: bass · stick · trunk · kick · cold · ground · safe · last

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. last — final
  4. bass — the fish
  5. last — to go on
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cold — not warm
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bass — low music
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. last — finally
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. cold — an illness
  21. kick — in football
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. kick — a thrill

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