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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 124 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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. last — to go on
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. toast — bread
  5. game — a match
  6. last — final
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. march — music
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. game — wild animals
  16. last — finally
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. scale — in music
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. march — the month
  24. scale — size or range

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