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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. suit — in cards
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. board — to get on
  11. mine — for digging
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. board — a committee
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cell — in biology
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pit — in a race
  18. cell — a phone
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — in football
  21. suit — clothes
  22. suit — to fit
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — an explosive

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