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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: ball · fall · face · date · wound · current · safe · board

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. current — happening now
  3. face — to point toward
  4. date — the fruit
  5. board — a committee
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fall — to drop
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. fall — to drop
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. ball — a dance
  14. wound — an injury
  15. current — of water
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. current — electric
  18. wound — an injury
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. board — to get on
  21. ball — a great time
  22. face — to confront
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. fall — the season

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