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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — a phone
  4. board — a committee
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. ground — a position
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pit — a hole
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. ground — crushed
  18. board — to get on
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fan — a supporter

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