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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. firm — a company
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. board — a committee
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. file — a tool
  9. firm — decided
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rock — a stone
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wind — moving air
  18. board — to get on
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a line of people
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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