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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. degree — from a university
  3. file — a tool
  4. present — the time now
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. file — a line of people
  7. squash — the sport
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. board — to get on
  10. present — a gift
  11. content — happy
  12. file — a document
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. present — there
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. degree — an amount
  19. content — the amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. squash — to crush
  22. lie — to recline
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — a committee

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