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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — to get on
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pit — a hole
  8. spell — a short time
  9. plane — a tool
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. spell — magic
  12. pit — in a race
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. rash — a series
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cell — in biology
  20. spell — letters
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. cell — in a prison

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