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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 120 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bat — the animal
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. march — the month
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — a company
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. march — the month
  14. rush — hurry
  15. key — in music
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. firm — decided
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. rush — a thrill

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