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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. rest — what's left
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rest — what's left
  7. current — of water
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rest — a break
  11. board — a committee
  12. cap — a lid
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cap — of ice
  15. current — happening now
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wind — moving air
  21. board — to get on
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wound — an injury
  24. current — electric

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