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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. suit — to fit
  7. season — in sport
  8. file — a line of people
  9. board — to get on
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. season — of the year
  14. rash — a series
  15. vault — a safe
  16. suit — in cards
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. suit — clothes
  19. board — a committee
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a tool
  22. rash — hasty
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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