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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. band — a music group
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. board — a committee
  8. mine — for digging
  9. land — a country
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. band — a ring
  13. bass — the fish
  14. kick — in football
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. wind — moving air
  17. land — ground
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bass — low music
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. wind — moving air
  24. racket — a loud noise

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