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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. object — an aim
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ground — crushed
  5. perch — the fish
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. board — to get on
  11. chest — a box
  12. ground — a position
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ground — the earth
  19. object — a thing
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. board — a committee
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wind — moving air
  24. object — to protest

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