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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. shower — to wash
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. shower — rain
  10. board — to get on
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. chip — to eat
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. chip — for betting
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. board — a committee
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. wind — moving air
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wind — moving air

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