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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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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: swing · safe · lie · shower · pit · last · roll · mouse

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. shower — to wash
  3. last — finally
  4. pit — in a race
  5. roll — a cake
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. roll — a list
  12. swing — to play on
  13. pit — a hole
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. shower — rain
  18. lie — to recline
  19. last — to go on
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — music
  23. last — final
  24. mouse — for a computer

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