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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 112 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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. board — to get on
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. board — a committee
  16. game — a match
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — a weight
  24. board — a flat piece

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