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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: march · tear · swing · fork · safe · row · date · cell

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cell — in biology
  10. row — a line
  11. tear — from crying
  12. swing — music
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fork — in a road
  15. swing — in golf
  16. tear — to rip
  17. march — the month
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. date — the fruit
  23. swing — to play on
  24. tear — from crying

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