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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
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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: season · safe · arm · scale · race · bat · march · hand

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. scale — in music
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. march — the month
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. march — the month
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bat — the animal
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. scale — size or range
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. race — the arms race
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. march — music
  24. race — a contest

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