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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 116 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 ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. race — humankind
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bark — to shout
  6. wind — moving air
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. race — a contest
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. season — in sport
  21. board — to get on
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. season — of the year
  24. board — a committee

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