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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: board · roll · fine · deal · band · safe · season · staff

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. fine — all right
  3. band — a ring
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. band — a music group
  6. roll — a cake
  7. deal — to handle
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. board — a committee
  12. staff — a stick
  13. fine — high quality
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. season — of the year
  16. staff — employees
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. staff — employees
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. board — to get on
  22. season — in sport
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. roll — a list

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