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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: march · saw · pit · staff · foot · cell · stock · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stock — goods
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. march — the month
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. saw — the tool
  12. march — music
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. stock — shares
  15. staff — employees
  16. march — the month
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. cell — in biology
  19. staff — a stick
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. staff — employees

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