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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. spring — the season
  4. wind — moving air
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wind — moving air
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. kid — child
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. rush — hurry
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. spring — a coil
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. board — a committee
  21. spring — of water
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. board — to get on

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