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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. swing — in golf
  3. cold — an illness
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. swing — music
  12. board — to get on
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cold — not warm
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. swing — to play on
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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