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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — a stone
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. net — in sport
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — in football
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bound — tied together
  12. season — of the year
  13. bound — certain
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wind — moving air
  16. season — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. board — a committee
  19. ball — a great time
  20. net — for catching
  21. board — to get on
  22. bound — obliged
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. rock — music

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