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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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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. march — the month
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — bread
  12. bat — the animal
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. march — music
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. march — the month
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mug — a face
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mug — to rob

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