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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: stand · safe · cell · swing · jam · shower · cold · board

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. swing — music
  5. cold — an illness
  6. shower — rain
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. swing — in golf
  10. shower — to wash
  11. cell — a phone
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. cell — in biology
  18. board — a committee
  19. swing — to play on
  20. cold — not warm
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. cold — the Cold War

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