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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. board — to get on
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. scale — size or range
  5. toast — bread
  6. season — of the year
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. lean — thin
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — a committee
  13. mine — for digging
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. wind — moving air
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. lean — to bend
  18. rock — music
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. rock — a stone
  22. season — in sport
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. scale — in 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