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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 120 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: bass · pass · game · perch · trunk · bat · safe · track

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. track — to keep track
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. game — wild animals
  11. track — a song
  12. pass — a permit
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. game — a match
  19. bass — low music
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. track — a path
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. perch — for a bird

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