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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. spell — letters
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. spell — magic
  7. kid — to tease
  8. scale — size or range
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. spell — a short time
  14. board — to get on
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. scale — in music
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. net — for catching
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. snap — to click
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kid — child

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