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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 116 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. march — the month
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. field — a subject
  11. stand — to bear
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. object — to protest
  14. field — farmland
  15. lean — thin
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — an aim
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. field — for sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lean — to bend
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — low music

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