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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: safe · swing · scale · march · pop · board · wind · snap

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. march — music
  3. board — to get on
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pop — soda
  6. march — the month
  7. snap — to click
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. pop — music
  10. swing — music
  11. wind — moving air
  12. board — a committee
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. scale — in music
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. scale — size or range
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. march — the month
  22. swing — in golf
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. pop — to visit

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