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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mark — a trace
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cell — in biology
  7. board — a committee
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. game — a match
  12. board — to get on
  13. cell — a phone
  14. roll — a list
  15. shower — rain
  16. face — to confront
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. roll — a cake
  21. face — part of the head
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. shower — to wash

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