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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. fall — the season
  5. land — ground
  6. object — a thing
  7. land — a country
  8. object — to protest
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fall — to drop
  11. key — in music
  12. land — to come down
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fall — to drop
  16. key — for a lock
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. key — the most important part

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