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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 120 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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a committee
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. row — a line
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — high quality
  9. dip — to sink
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. season — of the year
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fine — all right
  19. season — in sport
  20. bat — the animal
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. row — a quarrel
  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