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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. board — a committee
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. last — finally
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. board — to get on
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. ruler — for measuring

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