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

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. date — the fruit
  5. spring — the season
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. mine — for digging
  11. spring — a coil
  12. vault — a safe
  13. spring — of water
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. last — finally
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. last — to go on
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. last — final
  24. mine — an explosive

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