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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: jam · saw · staff · track · march · rest · hand · safe

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. saw — the tool
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. staff — employees
  5. saw — the tool
  6. staff — employees
  7. track — a path
  8. hand — help
  9. rest — what's left
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rest — a break
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. track — a song
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. staff — a stick
  21. track — to keep track
  22. march — the month
  23. rest — what's left
  24. hand — in cards

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