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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. lean — thin
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. object — an aim
  12. board — a committee
  13. rash — a series
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. object — to protest
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. object — a thing
  23. board — to get on
  24. lean — to bend

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