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

Word bank: band · cell · march · deal · bowl · dip · pound · safe

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. march — the month
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. march — music
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. march — the month
  15. dip — to sink
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cell — a phone
  21. band — a music group
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. safe — out of danger

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