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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: chest · bat · date · bass · present · straw · safe · wake

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. chest — a box
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bass — the fish
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. present — the time now
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. present — a gift
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bass — low music
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. present — there
  24. wake — a trail

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