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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. saw — the tool
  4. race — a contest
  5. mine — for digging
  6. branch — a division
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. race — humankind
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. race — the arms race
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. foot — a measure
  14. board — a committee
  15. pit — a hole
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. board — to get on
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. branch — of a tree

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