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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 116 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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. board — to get on
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. file — a document
  10. kick — in football
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. club — for golf
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. board — a committee
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wound — an injury

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