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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. staff — a stick
  4. chip — to eat
  5. board — to get on
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. spell — letters
  8. staff — employees
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spell — magic
  11. current — of water
  12. board — a committee
  13. chip — for betting
  14. current — happening now
  15. wound — an injury
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wind — moving air
  19. current — electric
  20. prune — to trim
  21. staff — employees
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spell — a short time
  24. chip — in a computer

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