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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. board — to get on
  5. scale — in music
  6. spring — the season
  7. scale — size or range
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. spring — of water
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. board — a committee
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. sharp — clever
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. sharp — exactly

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