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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. drill — army training
  3. board — to get on
  4. bound — tied together
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. board — a committee
  8. stem — to come from
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bound — certain
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bound — obliged
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. ground — the earth
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. board — a flat piece

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