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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. scale — size or range
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. track — a song
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. board — to get on
  11. sharp — clever
  12. scale — in music
  13. track — a path
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. rush — hurry
  18. track — to keep track
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bulb — for light
  21. saw — the tool
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. board — a committee

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