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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wound — an injury
  4. board — a committee
  5. object — an aim
  6. club — for dancing
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. club — a group
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. kick — in football
  11. object — to protest
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. board — to get on
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. file — a document
  17. object — a thing
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. file — a tool
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. club — for golf
  23. file — a line of people
  24. kick — with a leg

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