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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. firm — a company
  3. file — a document
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. bat — the animal
  6. staff — employees
  7. key — for a lock
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wind — moving air
  10. file — a line of people
  11. firm — steady
  12. board — a committee
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. board — to get on
  20. firm — decided
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — in music
  23. file — a tool
  24. bat — in an idiom

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