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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.

Make a worksheet

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: safe · mate · swing · saw · march · wax · season · chair

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mate — a friend
  3. season — of the year
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. saw — the tool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mate — to breed
  10. march — music
  11. wax — to grow
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. season — in sport
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — music
  17. mate — a partner
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. swing — to play on
  23. march — the month
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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