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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. present — a gift
  3. track — to keep track
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. present — the time now
  6. face — to confront
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wind — moving air
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. present — there
  13. squash — the sport
  14. board — a committee
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wind — moving air
  17. track — a song
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. track — a path
  22. board — to get on
  23. face — part of the head
  24. squash — to crush

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