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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. staff — a stick
  3. dip — to sink
  4. wind — moving air
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. clip — for paper
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. clip — a video
  15. march — the month
  16. staff — employees
  17. wind — moving air
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. board — a committee
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. staff — employees

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