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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. march — music
  4. rash — a series
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — in biology
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cell — a phone
  17. march — the month
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cold — not warm
  21. march — the month
  22. bank — of a river
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bank — for money

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