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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. spring — of water
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rule — government
  8. fine — all right
  9. staff — a stick
  10. wind — moving air
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fine — high quality
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. wind — moving air
  15. file — a document
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. spring — a coil
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — to get on
  24. spring — the season

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