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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: cue · track · cell · march · chair · safe · trunk · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. march — music
  3. chair — a leader
  4. cue — a hint
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. cell — a phone
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. cue — a signal
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cell — in biology
  13. track — a path
  14. cue — for pool
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. march — the month
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. track — to keep track
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. march — the month
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. track — a song

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