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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 · bass · pass · bat · clip · patient · scale · straw

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. clip — for paper
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. scale — size or range
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. clip — a video
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pass — a permit
  22. scale — in music
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. patient — a sick person

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