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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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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: march · mate · mouse · clip · safe · drill · arm · date

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. march — the month
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. clip — to cut
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. drill — a practice
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. clip — a video
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. march — the month
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — the tool
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. clip — for paper

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