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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. rule — a law
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rule — government
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bass — low music
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wound — an injury
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. chest — of your body
  20. board — to get on
  21. bass — the fish
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — a safe
  24. rule — to rule out

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