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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. capital — money
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. swing — in golf
  9. capital — a city
  10. fall — to drop
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. saw — the tool
  13. kick — in football
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. safe — out of danger

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