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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pop — to visit
  3. board — to get on
  4. wind — moving air
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pop — music
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pop — soda
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. board — a committee
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. staff — employees
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. row — a line
  22. row — to paddle
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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