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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: firm · cabinet · foot · cell · safe · stick · march · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cell — a phone
  3. march — the month
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. firm — decided
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cell — in biology
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. march — music
  20. firm — steady
  21. rock — a stone
  22. firm — a company
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. march — the month

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