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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: last · safe · scale · wind · pass · coach · swing · arm

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pass — a permit
  3. wind — moving air
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. scale — in music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. swing — to play on
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. last — final
  20. wind — moving air
  21. swing — music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. last — to go on

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