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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. spell — letters
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. spell — a short time
  7. board — a committee
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. object — a thing
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. object — to protest
  17. root — of a word
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. board — to get on
  21. object — an aim
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. spell — magic

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