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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 116 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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. drill — a practice
  3. hand — help
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wind — moving air
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. board — to get on
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mine — for digging
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. drill — army training
  22. pitch — completely
  23. board — a committee
  24. leaves — to go away

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