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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: can · chest · safe · cold · bank · race · racket · march

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bank — for money
  5. march — the month
  6. race — humankind
  7. bank — of a river
  8. can — to be able to
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. can — a tin
  13. cold — not warm
  14. chest — of your body
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bank — for money
  17. race — a contest
  18. march — music
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cold — an illness
  22. chest — a box
  23. march — the month
  24. race — the arms race

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