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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  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. staff — employees
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. field — farmland
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. board — to get on
  6. staff — employees
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. staff — a stick
  9. board — a committee
  10. row — to paddle
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. field — for sport
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. dip — to sink
  18. field — a subject
  19. row — a line
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. board — a flat piece
  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