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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · pitcher · safe · file · game · band · sharp · hand

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. band — a music group
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. sharp — clever
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. game — a match
  16. file — a tool
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. file — a document
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bass — low music
  24. safe — out of danger

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