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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. shower — rain
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. squash — the sport
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. deal — to handle
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. wind — moving air
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. squash — to crush
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. shower — to wash
  21. capital — money
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wind — moving air
  24. deal — a big deal

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