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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: roll · safe · pitch · saw · toast · wound · cold · bass

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cold — not warm
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. cold — an illness
  6. roll — a list
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pitch — completely
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. saw — the tool
  14. roll — a cake
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. wound — an injury
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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