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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: board · wake · safe · mark · straw · net · rash · scale

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. board — a committee
  5. net — after costs
  6. wake — a trail
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. scale — size or range
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. scale — in music
  13. rash — a series
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rash — hasty
  16. net — for catching
  17. board — to get on
  18. net — in sport
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. mark — a trace
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. straw — dry grass
  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