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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. board — a committee
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. net — for catching
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wind — moving air
  16. season — of the year
  17. wind — moving air
  18. net — in sport
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. mine — for digging
  21. board — to get on
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. dip — to sink
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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