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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 120 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. capital — money
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. board — a committee
  7. capital — a city
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. kid — child
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. board — to get on
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. mark — a trace
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. dip — to sink
  21. pitch — completely
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. kid — to tease
  24. pitch — a sports field

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