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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. board — to get on
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. scale — in music
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. track — to keep track
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. track — a path
  17. stock — shares
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stock — goods
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. track — a song
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — a flat piece

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