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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. club — for dancing
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. net — in sport
  5. spring — a coil
  6. net — after costs
  7. board — a committee
  8. wound — an injury
  9. face — part of the head
  10. fall — the season
  11. club — for golf
  12. face — to confront
  13. net — for catching
  14. face — to point toward
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. board — to get on
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. root — of a plant
  20. club — a group
  21. root — the cause
  22. spring — of water
  23. root — of a word
  24. spring — the season

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