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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. board — to get on
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. tear — from crying
  7. can — a tin
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. season — in sport
  11. track — a song
  12. can — a tin
  13. track — a path
  14. board — a committee
  15. tear — to rip
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. track — to keep track
  20. tear — from crying
  21. season — of the year
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wind — moving air
  24. dip — to dunk

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