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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
468
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: racket · safe · season · drill · hand · fork · march · trunk

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. hand — in cards
  4. march — the month
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. season — of the year
  7. drill — army training
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. season — in sport
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. drill — a practice
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. drill — the tool
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. fork — in a road
  20. march — the month
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. hand — help

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