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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bear — the animal
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. cap — a lid
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. hand — in cards
  14. board — a committee
  15. content — happy
  16. cap — a hat
  17. content — the amount
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wind — moving air
  23. board — to get on
  24. bear — the animal

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