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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 116 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: row · march · tear · race · bound · lean · safe · ball

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. ball — a dance
  3. race — the arms race
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. march — the month
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. tear — from crying
  9. march — the month
  10. bound — obliged
  11. row — to paddle
  12. ball — a great time
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bound — certain
  16. row — a line
  17. tear — from crying
  18. march — music
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — a contest
  21. lean — thin
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. lean — to bend
  24. safe — out of danger

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