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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 116 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. mine — for digging
  3. kid — to tease
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. kid — child
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. board — to get on
  17. pitch — completely
  18. board — a committee

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