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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. object — a thing
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rule — a law
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. object — to protest
  10. mate — a partner
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. band — a ring
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. object — an aim
  15. rule — government
  16. row — a line
  17. mate — to breed
  18. board — a committee
  19. mate — a friend
  20. board — to get on
  21. band — a music group
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. row — to paddle

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