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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rest — what's left
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. march — the month
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rest — what's left
  7. march — music
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chair — a leader
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — part of the head
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. face — to confront
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. rest — a break
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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