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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. content — happy
  3. club — for dancing
  4. wind — moving air
  5. court — for sport
  6. wind — moving air
  7. club — for golf
  8. net — in sport
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. content — the amount
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. court — of law
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. net — after costs
  19. wax — to grow
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. club — a group
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. court — of a king
  24. net — for catching

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