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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. fine — all right
  3. foot — a measure
  4. chest — a box
  5. wake — a trail
  6. chest — of your body
  7. board — to get on
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. board — a committee
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fine — high quality
  17. chest — of your body
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. mine — an explosive
  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