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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wind — moving air
  3. present — a gift
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. swing — music
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. present — there
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. club — for dancing
  13. swing — in golf
  14. present — the time now
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. club — a group
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. board — to get on
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. swing — to play on
  21. hand — help
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wind — moving air
  24. club — for golf

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