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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. board — a committee
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — to eat
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. chip — for betting
  10. cold — not warm
  11. wind — moving air
  12. kick — in football
  13. wind — moving air
  14. land — to come down
  15. board — to get on
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. land — a country
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — an illness
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. land — ground
  24. wind — to turn a key

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