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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. band — a music group
  6. pass — a permit
  7. spell — magic
  8. band — a ring
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spell — letters
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. wind — moving air
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. spell — a short time
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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