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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bass — low music
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rule — a law
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. scale — in music
  14. last — final
  15. board — a committee
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. rule — government
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. wake — a trail
  20. deal — to handle
  21. wind — moving air
  22. board — to get on
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. scale — size or range

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