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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. board — to get on
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rest — a break
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. scale — size or range
  13. board — a committee
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. rush — hurry
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. rest — what's left
  24. board — a flat piece

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