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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. board — a committee
  4. spell — a short time
  5. present — there
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. spell — letters
  9. foot — a measure
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — music
  12. ball — a great time
  13. spell — magic
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. board — to get on
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — a gift
  18. swing — in golf
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. ball — a dance
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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