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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. band — a ring
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. press — a publisher
  9. board — to get on
  10. band — a music group
  11. press — to push
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. game — wild animals
  16. tear — from crying
  17. board — a committee
  18. snap — to click
  19. tear — to rip
  20. plane — a tool
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. tear — from crying
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. press — newspapers

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