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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: bowl · march · straw · ball · file · safe · wound · face

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. march — the month
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. ball — a dance
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. face — part of the head
  11. file — a document
  12. march — music
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. march — the month
  24. wound — an injury

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