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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. board — to get on
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. land — to come down
  7. branch — a division
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pop — soda
  10. land — ground
  11. saw — the tool
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. pop — music
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pop — to visit
  17. saw — the tool
  18. land — a country
  19. wind — moving air
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. board — a committee
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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