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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: wind · march · safe · stick · fan · bat · arm · snap

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. march — music
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. wind — moving air
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bat — the animal
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wind — moving air
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. arm — part of the body

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