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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. foot — a measure
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. wound — an injury
  5. last — finally
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fall — the season
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. swing — music
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. swing — to play on
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. track — to keep track
  17. board — to get on
  18. track — a path
  19. board — a committee
  20. wound — an injury
  21. track — a song
  22. swing — in golf
  23. fall — to drop
  24. foot — the bottom

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