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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · cold · ruler · season · lash · wind · game · deal

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wind — moving air
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. cold — an illness
  14. season — of the year
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. game — a match
  21. board — a committee
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. season — in sport
  24. ruler — for measuring

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