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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. spell — a short time
  7. board — to get on
  8. shower — to wash
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. sharp — clever
  12. shower — rain
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. board — a committee
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. spell — letters
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. branch — a division
  21. game — wild animals
  22. spell — magic
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. branch — of a bank

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