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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 116 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. board — a committee
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. content — the amount
  5. game — wild animals
  6. tear — from crying
  7. march — music
  8. board — to get on
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. march — the month
  11. game — a match
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mark — a trace
  15. chip — to eat
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mark — a grade
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. chip — for betting
  20. march — the month
  21. tear — to rip
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. content — happy
  24. chip — in a computer

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