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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. root — the cause
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. march — music
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bat — the animal
  10. root — of a word
  11. tube — a container
  12. club — for golf
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. club — for dancing
  17. wound — an injury
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. club — a group
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. tube — the underground
  23. toast — bread
  24. march — the month

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