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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
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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: date · hand · band · mate · safe · straw · march · firm

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. hand — help
  3. firm — a company
  4. hand — in cards
  5. date — the fruit
  6. mate — a partner
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. march — music
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. band — a music group
  15. firm — decided
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mate — a friend
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. march — the month
  21. firm — steady
  22. mate — to breed
  23. straw — dry grass
  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