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

Word bank: safe · toast · mouse · tear · craft · fall · board · cold

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. toast — bread
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. tear — to rip
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. tear — from crying
  9. craft — a skill
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. cold — an illness
  13. board — a committee
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a handicraft

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