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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 120 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. board — a committee
  3. degree — temperature
  4. craft — a skill
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. degree — from a university
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. stock — goods
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. craft — boats
  14. stock — shares
  15. wake — a trail
  16. board — to get on
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. stock — a soup base

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