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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. file — a tool
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. file — a document
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. swing — in golf
  10. stand — to bear
  11. swing — music
  12. board — a committee
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. wake — a trail
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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