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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: chair · pit · march · wax · safe · rock · arm · squash

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. march — the month
  10. squash — to crush
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. march — music
  15. chair — a leader
  16. march — the month
  17. rock — a stone
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wax — to grow
  22. squash — the sport
  23. rock — music
  24. safe — a strongbox

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