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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. face — to point toward
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. spring — the season
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. game — a match
  9. face — part of the head
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bat — the animal
  12. swing — in golf
  13. spring — of water
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. swing — music
  19. board — to get on
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. spring — a coil
  23. game — wild animals
  24. face — to confront

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