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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
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: mine · season · stock · cell · swing · pit · bass · safe

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. swing — in golf
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. cell — in biology
  5. season — in sport
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. swing — music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bass — low music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. season — of the year
  17. pit — a hole
  18. stock — shares
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stock — goods
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. pit — in a race
  23. mine — for digging
  24. cell — a phone

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