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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. board — a flat piece
  2. lean — to bend
  3. board — to get on
  4. bat — the animal
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. spring — of water
  7. pop — to visit
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rest — what's left
  11. spring — the season
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. lean — thin
  15. rest — what's left
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. kid — to tease
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pop — music
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rest — a break
  22. pop — soda
  23. kid — child
  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