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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 · date · snap · drill · swing · capital · march · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. drill — the tool
  3. swing — in golf
  4. date — the fruit
  5. drill — army training
  6. fall — to drop
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. capital — money
  12. march — the month
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. drill — a practice
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. fall — to drop
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. date — on the calendar

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