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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. game — wild animals
  3. swing — music
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. last — final
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. swing — to play on
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. last — to go on
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. deal — to handle
  14. last — finally
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. chest — a box
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. chest — of your body
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — to get on
  21. game — a match
  22. swing — in golf
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. chest — of your body

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