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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: bass · race · cabinet · clip · drill · safe · pit · straw

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. drill — army training
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. race — the arms race
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pit — in a race
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. race — humankind
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. drill — the tool
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bass — low music
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. drill — a practice
  23. pit — a hole
  24. race — a contest

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