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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. plane — a tool
  3. fine — high quality
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. board — a committee
  7. rush — hurry
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cap — a hat
  13. fine — all right
  14. board — to get on
  15. tear — to rip
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cold — not warm
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cold — the Cold War

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