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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. fine — all right
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. swing — to play on
  5. wind — moving air
  6. swing — in golf
  7. spring — a coil
  8. fine — high quality
  9. wind — moving air
  10. file — a tool
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. spring — of water
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. board — to get on
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. swing — music
  21. file — a document
  22. spring — the season
  23. board — a committee
  24. file — a line of people

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