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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 116 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: tear · last · board · safe · tube · cue · bat · fine

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. last — finally
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cue — a hint
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. tear — from crying
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. board — to get on
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bat — the animal
  15. tube — the underground
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. tube — a container
  19. cue — a signal
  20. board — a committee
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. fine — high quality

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