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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 120 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. board — to get on
  3. stand — to bear
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. board — a committee
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. pass — a permit
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cold — an illness
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. squash — to crush
  15. cue — for pool
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. cue — a signal
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. kick — in football
  23. cold — not warm
  24. kick — a thrill

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