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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. scale — in music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. stand — to bear
  6. craft — boats
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. march — music
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. swing — in golf
  13. scale — size or range
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. march — the month
  19. swing — music
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. march — the month
  24. arm — part of the body

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