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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: clip · safe · chest · pitcher · date · bass · saw · mate

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bass — low music
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. clip — a video
  12. date — the fruit
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. clip — to cut
  18. saw — the tool
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mate — to breed
  21. clip — for paper
  22. mate — a partner
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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