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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — to get on
  4. rock — music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. current — of water
  8. squash — to crush
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mark — a grade
  11. rock — a stone
  12. current — electric
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. clip — for paper
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. current — happening now
  17. mark — a trace
  18. lie — to recline
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. squash — the sport
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. clip — a video
  24. squash — the vegetable

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