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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.

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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: firm · pound · march · date · cell · present · club · safe

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. march — the month
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. march — the month
  7. present — a gift
  8. club — for dancing
  9. firm — decided
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. firm — a company
  12. march — music
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. present — the time now
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. cell — in biology
  17. date — the fruit
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. cell — a phone
  20. firm — steady
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. present — there
  23. club — a group
  24. pound — a weight

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