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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. lean — thin
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bat — the animal
  9. band — a ring
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. shower — rain
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. shower — to wash
  14. board — a committee
  15. lean — to bend
  16. band — a music group
  17. tube — a container
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. rash — a series
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. rash — hasty
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. rash — on the skin

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