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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. chest — of your body
  3. cell — in biology
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. chest — a box
  7. wake — a trail
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. chest — of your body
  12. kid — to tease
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. board — to get on
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. kid — child
  22. cue — for pool
  23. board — a committee
  24. wake — before a funeral

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