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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wake — a trail
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. march — the month
  12. rock — music
  13. ball — a great time
  14. file — a document
  15. rock — a stone
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. march — music
  19. file — a tool
  20. ball — a dance
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. file — a line of people

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