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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 120 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. drill — army training
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rest — a break
  6. board — to get on
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. drill — a practice
  9. ground — a position
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. board — a committee
  12. drill — the tool
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fine — all right
  19. ground — the earth
  20. rest — what's left
  21. dip — to sink
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. fine — high quality
  24. scale — in music

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