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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: safe · mate · racket · scale · jam · bat · bark · cell

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. mate — to breed
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cell — in biology
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. mate — a partner
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bark — to shout

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