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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 124 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  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. row — to paddle
  2. land — ground
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. land — to come down
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. board — a committee
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. row — a line
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. scale — in music
  18. land — a country
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. scale — size or range
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. board — to get on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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