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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pass — a permit
  5. game — a match
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. rash — hasty
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. board — to get on
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. track — a song
  20. board — a committee
  21. rash — a series
  22. track — a path
  23. hide — animal skin
  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