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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. chest — a box
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wound — an injury
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. chest — of your body
  10. deal — to handle
  11. board — a committee
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. charge — electricity
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. board — to get on
  21. charge — in control
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. chest — of your body
  24. charge — a price

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