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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: stand · bat · land · safe · bulb · cabinet · pitcher · march

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. march — the month
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bat — the animal
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. land — ground
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. land — to come down
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. march — the month
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bulb — for light
  21. land — a country
  22. march — music
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pitcher — a jug

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