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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: ball · safe · swing · sharp · straw · file · march · trunk

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. file — a tool
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. file — a document
  13. sharp — clever
  14. file — a line of people
  15. swing — music
  16. march — the month
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. swing — to play on
  20. ball — a great time
  21. swing — in golf
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. ball — a round shape

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