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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: chest · march · safe · bark · stand · toast · kid · rest

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. march — the month
  4. rest — a break
  5. stand — to bear
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bark — to shout
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. kid — child
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. rest — what's left
  14. chest — a box
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. kid — to tease
  19. chest — of your body
  20. march — music
  21. rest — what's left
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. march — the month
  24. toast — bread

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