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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: cold · safe · fork · cabinet · march · rest · pit · plane

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cold — an illness
  6. march — the month
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rest — what's left
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. march — music
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — in a race
  18. cold — not warm
  19. fork — in a road
  20. plane — a tool
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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