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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 120 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. club — for golf
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. board — a committee
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bat — the animal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wind — moving air
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. board — to get on
  18. club — a group
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. wind — moving air
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. deal — an agreement

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