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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. board — to get on
  3. lean — to bend
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rush — hurry
  7. board — a committee
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. season — of the year
  11. net — for catching
  12. wind — moving air
  13. deal — to handle
  14. net — in sport
  15. season — in sport
  16. perch — the fish
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. net — after costs
  23. wind — moving air
  24. perch — for a bird

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