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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.

Words on the sheet
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: can · kick · key · march · safe · spring · shower · rash

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. shower — to wash
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. march — the month
  6. shower — rain
  7. key — the most important part
  8. march — the month
  9. spring — of water
  10. rash — a series
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. can — to be able to
  16. key — in music
  17. can — a tin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. key — for a lock
  22. can — a tin
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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