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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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 — a strongbox
  2. field — a subject
  3. squash — the sport
  4. chest — a box
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wind — moving air
  9. field — for sport
  10. board — to get on
  11. wind — moving air
  12. field — farmland
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chest — of your body
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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