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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. board — to get on
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. chair — a leader
  14. board — a committee
  15. spell — magic
  16. degree — temperature
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a dance
  19. wind — moving air
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. spell — letters
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spell — a short time

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