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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. board — to get on
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. degree — from a university
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — in golf
  10. rule — a law
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. ground — crushed
  13. prune — to trim
  14. swing — to play on
  15. degree — an amount
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. board — a committee
  20. ground — the earth
  21. degree — temperature
  22. rule — government
  23. ground — a position
  24. bat — the animal

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