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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. chest — a box
  3. wind — moving air
  4. board — to get on
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. board — a committee
  7. root — of a word
  8. chest — of your body
  9. object — an aim
  10. season — of the year
  11. object — a thing
  12. game — wild animals
  13. object — to protest
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. chest — of your body
  16. game — a match
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. root — the cause
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. root — of a plant
  22. season — in sport
  23. wind — moving air
  24. game — a kind of play

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