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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. board — a committee
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. cap — of ice
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bass — low music
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cap — a lid
  19. tear — to rip
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. board — to get on
  23. bass — the fish
  24. press — to push

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