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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. face — to confront
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. face — to point toward
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. chip — for betting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. board — a committee
  20. rock — a stone
  21. board — to get on
  22. face — part of the head
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. wind — to turn a key

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