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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. current — of water
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. board — a committee
  11. cue — for pool
  12. spring — of water
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. spring — the season
  16. cold — an illness
  17. current — happening now
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cue — a signal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. current — electric
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. cue — a hint

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