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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. land — ground
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. staff — employees
  9. board — to get on
  10. row — a line
  11. band — a ring
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. board — a committee
  14. band — a music group
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. firm — a company
  17. row — to paddle
  18. land — to come down
  19. firm — steady
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. firm — decided
  23. wind — moving air
  24. land — a country

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