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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: pit · wake · bass · cold · current · straw · safe · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bass — low music
  5. current — electric
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. pit — in a race
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. current — of water
  11. bass — the fish
  12. chest — of your body
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. current — happening now
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pit — a hole
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. cold — an illness
  20. chest — a box
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cold — not warm

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