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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: lie · date · safe · club · stick · chest · mouse · bass

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. club — for dancing
  3. lie — to recline
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bass — low music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. chest — a box
  11. club — a group
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. chest — of your body
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. club — for golf
  24. bass — the fish

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