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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. mug — a face
  4. board — a committee
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. mug — to rob
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. root — the cause
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. board — to get on
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wind — moving air
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. root — of a word
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. root — of a plant
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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