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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. charge — in control
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. board — a committee
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wind — moving air
  15. face — to confront
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. capital — money
  22. row — a line
  23. capital — a city
  24. board — to get on

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