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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. board — a committee
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. net — for catching
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wind — moving air
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. net — after costs
  16. plane — a tool
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. drill — the tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. board — to get on
  22. drill — army training
  23. wind — moving air
  24. arm — part of the body

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