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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 · tube · rock · board · court · lean · fine · safe

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. fine — high quality
  6. tube — a container
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — all right
  9. court — of a king
  10. lean — to bend
  11. board — to get on
  12. tube — the underground
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. lean — thin
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. march — music
  20. board — a committee
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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