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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. march — the month
  4. staff — employees
  5. land — to come down
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. staff — employees
  9. pass — a permit
  10. board — a committee
  11. land — ground
  12. staff — a stick
  13. march — the month
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — electricity
  16. land — a country
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. wind — moving air
  19. charge — in control
  20. board — to get on
  21. march — music
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. board — a flat piece

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