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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. track — to keep track
  6. squash — to crush
  7. track — a song
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. wind — moving air
  10. clip — for paper
  11. kid — child
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. clip — to cut
  16. board — a committee
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. track — a path
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — thin
  22. squash — the sport
  23. board — to get on
  24. clip — a video

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