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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. board — to get on
  3. lie — to recline
  4. track — a song
  5. pop — to visit
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. track — a path
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. staff — a stick
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pop — music
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pop — soda
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. drill — army training
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. spring — the season
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wind — moving air

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