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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. board — to get on
  8. cue — for pool
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. roll — a list
  11. cue — a signal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. kid — to tease
  14. roll — a cake
  15. kid — child
  16. spell — magic
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. cue — a hint
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. spell — a short time

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