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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. staff — employees
  4. club — a group
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. board — to get on
  7. staff — a stick
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. club — for dancing
  14. tube — the underground
  15. board — a committee
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. club — for golf
  18. staff — employees
  19. tube — a container
  20. sharp — clever
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. board — a flat piece

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