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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. net — after costs
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. board — a committee
  5. plane — a tool
  6. net — for catching
  7. mine — for digging
  8. clip — a video
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. net — in sport
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. ground — crushed
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. board — to get on
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. clip — for paper
  19. ground — a position
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ground — the earth
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. cabinet — ministers

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