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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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Word bank
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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 · last · pop · scale · wind · cue · bore · current

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. cue — a signal
  3. last — to go on
  4. bore — to tire
  5. pop — soda
  6. bore — to drill
  7. current — electric
  8. current — happening now
  9. cue — a hint
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. current — of water
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. wind — moving air
  16. last — final
  17. pop — music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. last — finally
  20. scale — in music
  21. board — to get on
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wind — moving air
  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