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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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468
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: safe · bat · rush · march · ruler · clip · pound · dip

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. march — the month
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. march — the month
  6. clip — for paper
  7. march — music
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bat — the animal
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. clip — a video
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. rush — to hurry

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