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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: game · bear · board · mark · wind · bat · safe · leaves

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. board — a committee
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. game — a match
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mark — a trace
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. board — to get on
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bat — the animal
  22. game — wild animals
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. leaves — lets stay

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