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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: safe · land · march · lie · swing · mine · ball · fall

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. march — the month
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. fall — to drop
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fall — the season
  12. swing — music
  13. mine — for digging
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. lie — to recline
  17. fall — to drop
  18. land — a country
  19. march — the month
  20. swing — to play on
  21. march — music
  22. ball — a dance
  23. swing — in golf
  24. ball — a great time

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