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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — music
  10. last — final
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — to get on
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rule — government
  16. pound — a weight
  17. wind — moving air
  18. last — finally
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. last — to go on
  22. rock — a stone
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. rule — a law

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