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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. roll — a list
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. march — the month
  10. clip — a video
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. roll — a cake
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. clip — for paper
  16. capital — a city
  17. pass — a permit
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. march — music
  20. clip — to cut
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — money
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. game — wild animals

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