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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. snap — to click
  7. march — the month
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rash — a series
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rash — hasty
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. wind — moving air
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rest — a break
  19. march — the month
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. march — music
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. board — to get on

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