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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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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: march · calf · pass · safe · kid · cold · band · cabinet

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pass — a permit
  3. kid — to tease
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. band — a ring
  9. march — music
  10. kid — child
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. march — the month
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. march — the month
  24. calf — a young animal

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