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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: last · ruler · march · pass · bat · hide · safe · fork

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. march — the month
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. march — music
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. last — finally
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. last — final
  12. march — the month
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. last — to go on
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bat — in an idiom

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