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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. drill — a practice
  4. stock — shares
  5. hand — help
  6. season — in sport
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. board — a committee
  10. drill — army training
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. season — of the year
  16. saw — the tool
  17. board — to get on
  18. wind — moving air
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. drill — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. hand — in cards
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. safe — out of danger

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