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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bound — obliged
  7. rash — hasty
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bound — certain
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rash — a series
  13. bound — tied together
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lie — to recline
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. board — to get on
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. board — a committee

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