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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wind — moving air
  13. spell — magic
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. spell — letters
  20. board — a committee
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bass — the instrument

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