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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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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 · coach · saw · chest · rest · march · perch · drill

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. drill — army training
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rest — what's left
  6. march — music
  7. drill — the tool
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. chest — a box
  10. march — the month
  11. rest — a break
  12. saw — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. chest — of your body
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. perch — the fish
  20. march — the month
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chest — of your body
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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