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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pit — a hole
  3. march — music
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. drill — army training
  6. march — the month
  7. mark — a trace
  8. march — the month
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. pit — in a race
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. mark — a grade
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pitch — completely
  24. safe — out of danger

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