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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: plane · safe · march · hand · toast · fan · pit · drill

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. drill — army training
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. march — music
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. pit — in a race
  9. hand — in cards
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. drill — the tool
  14. march — the month
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. drill — a practice
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. march — the month
  20. hand — help
  21. pit — a hole
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — a tool
  24. fan — a supporter

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