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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. march — music
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. face — to confront
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. march — the month
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. march — the month
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bat — the animal
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. swing — to play on
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. jam — in traffic
  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