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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. rule — to rule out
  2. spell — letters
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pop — music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. object — an aim
  8. saw — the tool
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. pop — soda
  11. stock — goods
  12. object — to protest
  13. rule — government
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pop — to visit
  16. board — a committee
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. rule — a law
  19. spell — magic
  20. board — to get on
  21. object — a thing
  22. stock — shares
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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