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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: safe · pop · pitcher · saw · row · root · kid · bass

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. row — a line
  5. saw — the tool
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. kid — child
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bass — low music
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. kid — to tease
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. root — of a word
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. pop — soda
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pop — music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pitcher — a jug

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