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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: bat · safe · board · mate · staff · bark · ruler · net

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. staff — employees
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. net — for catching
  5. board — a committee
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. net — in sport
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. staff — employees
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. board — to get on
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. net — after costs
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bark — to shout
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. staff — a stick

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