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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · safe · date · jam · rash · bound · cold · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bound — obliged
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. date — the fruit
  10. chest — of your body
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bound — tied together
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. rash — hasty
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bass — low music
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bound — certain
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. chest — a box
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. rash — a series

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