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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 ball is in your ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. court — for sport
  3. rule — government
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. march — the month
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. lean — thin
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. rule — a law
  17. bat — the animal
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. march — music
  24. safe — out of danger

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