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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · ground · mug · tear · lash · can · safe · game

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. mug — to rob
  4. ground — crushed
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. ground — the earth
  8. mug — a cup
  9. ground — a position
  10. game — a match
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. march — music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. game — wild animals
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mug — a face
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. tear — from crying
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. can — to be able to
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. safe — out of danger

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