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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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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: last · safe · row · court · mouse · bark · hand · march

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bark — to shout
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. march — the month
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. court — of a king
  13. row — to paddle
  14. march — music
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. court — of law
  17. last — finally
  18. court — for sport
  19. row — a line
  20. last — final
  21. hand — help
  22. march — the month
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. last — to go on

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