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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. tear — from crying
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. chest — a box
  11. tear — to rip
  12. ball — a great time
  13. board — a committee
  14. wound — an injury
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wound — an injury
  18. board — to get 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