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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: safe · rush · bat · board · trunk · mark · drill · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. board — a committee
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — a grade
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. rest — a break
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. board — to get on
  14. drill — a practice
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. trunk — of a tree

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