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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. board — to get on
  2. board — a committee
  3. swing — to play on
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lean — thin
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wind — moving air
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. saw — the tool
  10. swing — music
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. tear — to rip
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. swing — in golf
  17. tear — from crying
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. file — a document
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. saw — the tool
  23. tear — from crying
  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