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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. board — a committee
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wind — moving air
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. pop — soda
  9. game — a match
  10. can — a tin
  11. wind — moving air
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. pop — music
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. game — wild animals
  22. can — a tin
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. toast — the most admired

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