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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 124 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. squash — to crush
  6. stock — shares
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. board — a committee
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wind — moving air
  11. roll — a list
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. mine — for digging
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wind — moving air
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. squash — the sport
  21. roll — a cake
  22. stock — goods
  23. racket — for tennis
  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