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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. board — to get on
  3. present — a gift
  4. rush — hurry
  5. game — a match
  6. present — the time now
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. wind — moving air
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. present — there
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rock — music
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. rock — a stone
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — a flat piece

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