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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. mug — a face
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. ground — crushed
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. ground — the earth
  9. court — of law
  10. dip — to sink
  11. wind — moving air
  12. court — of a king
  13. board — to get on
  14. file — a line of people
  15. ground — a position
  16. file — a tool
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. court — for sport
  19. mug — a cup
  20. board — a committee
  21. file — a document
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mug — to rob

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