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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. pit — in a race
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. staff — employees
  5. kid — to tease
  6. board — a committee
  7. roll — a list
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. kid — child
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. board — to get on
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. roll — a cake
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pit — a hole

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