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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 116 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: bass · key · patient · safe · present · straw · cap · game

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cap — of ice
  3. key — for a lock
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. bass — low music
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. game — a match
  9. present — a gift
  10. cap — a hat
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bass — the fish
  16. present — there
  17. cap — a lid
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — in music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. present — the time now
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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