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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. wind — moving air
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pass — a permit
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. board — a committee
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wind — moving air
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wound — an injury
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pit — in a race
  20. board — to get on
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. shower — rain
  24. pit — a hole

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