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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pop — music
  5. field — a subject
  6. board — to get on
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pop — to visit
  9. season — in sport
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. squash — the sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. pop — soda
  14. board — a committee
  15. squash — to crush
  16. season — of the year
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. content — the amount
  22. field — for sport
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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