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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: pit · march · safe · straw · lash · cabinet · rule · clip

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. march — the month
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rule — a law
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. march — the month
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. clip — to cut
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. rule — government
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. clip — a video
  17. pit — a hole
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. pit — in a race
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. march — music
  24. safe — a strongbox

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