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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 116 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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 — a permit
  3. fall — to drop
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — for dancing
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. spell — magic
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mug — a face
  10. spell — letters
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. wax — to grow
  14. race — humankind
  15. spell — a short time
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. race — a contest
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. race — the arms race
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mug — to rob
  22. wind — moving air
  23. club — a group
  24. mug — a cup

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